


(Dis)Placement

by tiakall



Category: Bravely Default (Video Game) & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Gen, Post-Ending, all the feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-09 18:38:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 50,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5551085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiakall/pseuds/tiakall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-(true) ending fic.  Ringabel is not the person he was - and no longer fits into the world he came from.  He struggles to reconcile his identity and his roles, and clashes against others trying to find the place where they belong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Displacement: Part 1

Somewhere, he'd transitioned between falling and resting, between one world and another. First, the smell of the ancient wood of the Grandship, then the painful bright light of the Holy Pillar, then the sound of Agnes's voice. He tilted his head up, and saw Airy just as she began her transformation.

He was back.

He was back in time.

The thought alone gave him a shot of adrenaline, propelling him to his feet. He could feel the weight of his dark armor settled around him: something almost foreign after being gone for so long, but needed now. He walked forward, placing himself in front of the other three, raising his sword. Meeting Airy's eyes, he spoke simply. "Not this time."

"Alternis?!" Edea's voice.

Airy's mutated face scrunched up in disdain. "And just what do you think you can do, dark knight?"

"My name is Alternis Dim, dark knight of Eternia." There was no fear. There was no anger, only the determination to direct the world away from one last tragedy. "The meaning of that name... I'll carve it into your memories for as long as they last."

"You think too highly of yourself, human!" Airy raised her stubby arms, drawing magic together.

"Tiz, Edea," he addressed them in a softer tone, not taking his eyes off of the enemy. "Airy's weakness is fire. You two attack with everything you've got. Agnes and I will back you up."

"Alternis-"

"We don't have time. Please, just trust me on this-" Airy threw her finished spell, assaulting them with ice. "Agnes! Put up a barrier!"

Her hands were shaking like leaves in a storm. Of course, he realized; here, Airy's betrayal had only just happened, raw and ugly. The next spell came, knocking them all off their feet, and he put himself in front of Agnes, shielding her from the brunt of the attack. Blood dribbled down his temple, over the scar from the last battle he had faced Airy in. "Go defensive!" he shouted to Edea and Tiz. Then he pulled Agnes to her feet, giving her a little shake. "I know this is rough for you, Agnes. But you have to think about surviving right now. I won't let you die."

She looked at him with wide eyes, and he couldn't tell if she was terrified of Airy, or possibly of him. "You have to protect Tiz," he told her. "You don't want him to die, do you?"

"Tiz..." Her eyes drifted to the younger man, and that was enough to bring out her vestal's resolve. Airy's next attack was met with a strong barrier, the blizzard splashing off as if it were mere water.

Edea looked at him, but said nothing, instead turning her attention to the enemy. "Let's go, Tiz! We'll make her regret trying to play us!"

"How dare you betray Agnes!" Tiz agreed, and the two moved in unison against the demonic fairy.

"It's always Agnes with you," Airy said, scorn heavy in her voice. "So simpleminded!"

Now, he thought, this was playing out how it was supposed to. Which left him to do his part, a part that he hadn't been able to do before. It had taken a journey to be able to bring out enough strength to avoid the same fate as before. He closed his eyes, and began weaving the circle that would call upon the force that he'd met in the Fire Temple of another world. Even if this wasn't the same Luxendarc, it had to listen.

First, the clanging of a klaxon, then the clattering as it drew closer, its ghostly wheels putting down force in the world as it got closer to its target. The speeding, snake-like creature opened its mouth, and Airy was engulfed in its flame. The sudden exhaustion from calling a creature from the other plane hit him with force, but he held the spell circle as it was, silently steering the snake around to try again. Not yet. He couldn't stop until she was gone.

Over and over, he brought the summon of fire down on Airy, the fire tearing away at her bloblike flesh, continuing even after Tiz and Agnes had fallen to the ground from exhaustion. It was Edea that finally brought her blade down, cracking Airy like the shell of a nut, splitting her down the middle. And then she, too, dropped, unable to strike further. He felt like he would do much the same, every nerve in his body screaming from pain and exhaustion at having kept a higher creature down in their world for so long. But he was more than used to pain and exhaustion.

The shell moved slightly, and Airy, reduced to her original fairy-like form, crawled out, tumbling to the ground. Alive, but clearly in no better shape than the rest of them. The last time he and Airy had fought on the deck of the Grandship, she had gotten away. That mistake wouldn't be made again. "Airy!"

She looked up, terror in her eyes, and he threw his sword, aiming to pin her to the boards of the Grandship. Off by a fraction, it sank into the edge of her wing, and she scrambled for the edge of the Grandship. Whether to escape into the Holy Pillar, or merely live a while longer, he didn't know. But as they watched, the Holy Pillar's light faded into nothingness, returning to an ordinary blue sky and blue ocean. Airy let out a cry as she tumbled over the railing, toward the ocean below.

He didn't have the strength to move his legs to see if she hit the water. But that was okay. This time, he had prevented the worst-case scenario. Edea, Tiz, and Agnes were alive. They would live, hopefully for many years. This time, he hadn't failed them. That was the thought that took him into the tranquility of unconsciousness.

* * *

The room was his own, and because of that, it felt completely foreign. Somehow, looking at the stone walls, covered in plain tapestries to ward off some of the Eternia chill, the minimal furnishings, the functional fireplace, all felt like seeing it for the first time. But he'd grown up here, ever since Braev Lee had brought him to Eternia and established the duchy. For the first time in almost two years, Ringabel was actually home.

He didn't remember being brought here, or much of anything after Airy had fled for her life. He was out of his armor, and a few bandages lingered on his arms and torso. It hurt to move, but deciding that movement wouldn't open up the wounds again, he put the pain aside. Someone had started a fire, and left some food and coffee beans on his table, so he set about making himself a cup of coffee. The routine was so familiar, had been done so many times over the years, that he barely had to think about it at all. Eternians did love their coffee. Well, unless you were Edea, who preferred hot chocolate for staving off the ever-present cold. She'd take coffee if it was the only choice, but only with a hefty amount of cream and sugar (something he could never agree with her on). Likewise, Agnes preferred tea, but would accept coffee with a little sugar to take off the bitter edge. And Tiz liked a lot of milk, which wasn't surprising for someone who had grown up around farm animals.

Ringabel came out of his memories with a start. Even during the time when he'd had no memories of who he was, his body had still remembered how to make the perfect cup of coffee. Memories were strange things, he mused as he watched the ever-present snow fall outside his balcony door.

Everything appeared to have been how he had left it... but then again, he hadn't been gone that long in the eyes of this world. Not that he had many things to begin with. The basics of furniture, clothing, his coffee equipment... and his one luxury item, the bookshelf. Most were dry, factual tomes about the world, describing history and geography, discussing strategies of war or theories of magic. But a few were accounts of travelers, telling their stories or sometimes creating completely new stories out of their own heads, containing a magic of human interaction he'd only been able to observe before. His own journals, too, rested on the shelf, chronicling a short and complex life. Braev had been the one to teach him to fight, but it was Mahzer that had taught him to read and write, and encouraged him to control the darkness inside him by putting it all on paper.

Finishing his coffee, he rinsed the cup out, then put on fresh clothing. Without even thinking about it, the dark armor formed over his clothes, taking its usual place, but he left the helmet off. Since he was feeling well enough to walk, he should be well enough to work. A couple of assistants looked up as he entered the hallway, but then busily went back to their own tasks. Edea, he realized. Surely she had been injured, too. Circling around the floor to her door, he knocked firmly, listening.

"Who is it?" Her voice sounded normal, untroubled and unpained.

"It's Alternis."

Some shuffling noises, and then she pulled open her door, looking up at him. The Edea before him was the one that he had grown up with, the one he had always watched as a shadow, the one that was still nineteen. The one whose death was now nothing more than a memory. "Oh... I almost didn't recognize you. I'm glad you're awake."

"May I come in for a moment?"

"Well, aren't we forward," she huffed, pushing the door open further. "Sneaking into a lady's bedchamber."

Instead of being flustered like he might have done before, he only smiled slightly, closing the door behind him. Same old Edea. Same little girl he'd grown up with like a sister. Same, but completely different from the one he'd had to leave behind. _Don't think about that._ "How are your wounds? Did Datz and Zatz bring us back?"

"Already healed. You're the one that's been asleep for three days," she pointed out. "I was fine after a few hours' nap." Tilting her head, she added, "You know Datz and Zatz?"

"Sort of. What of Tiz and Agnes?"

"Aren't we friendly all of a sudden?" Edea regarded him with an arched eyebrow.

"I'm the one that found Tiz after Norende," Ringabel countered. "I spoke with Agnes during that time, prior to your arrival. They're not complete strangers to me."

"I didn't say they were. You've just got a funny way of showing affection," she said. "They're both fine. Tiz went back to Caldisla to rebuild Norende, and Agnes returned to the Temple of the Wind."

"I see. That's good." So he had succeeded in what he had gone back in time to do. It was one small weight off his shoulders, a guilt that he'd made up for. "Have you reported in to the lord marshal?"

She snorted. "My father hasn't had the time of day for me since I got back."

"Well, he is the only active member of the Council of Six right now. He must be busy."

This got him a scowl and a stomp of her foot. "What, like I haven't been? Um, hello. We just saved the whole world. What's it take to get him to come check on his injured daughter? Forget it. I'm going to go visit Mother. At least she has a good excuse."

Ringabel fell silent, letting her pass, then exited her room without a word. If only she knew how her father had done everything to ensure she had a world still standing for her to grow up in. If only she knew that he'd done that in every world. _If only I could tell you_.

While she visited her mother, it would be a good time for him to make his report, and so he went to the next elevator, the one that led up to the Council chambers at the very top of the central command's tower. His room, even as simple as it was, still held the elements of the fantastic architecture that had gone into Central Command, the arches and buttresses, the stained glass windows and tall doors. The central Council chamber was a culmination of all of that, and yet it paled in comparison to the sole person sitting at the table, reading some paperwork. Braev's injuries at the hands of his daughter might prevent him from ever wielding a sword again, but it did nothing to tame the fierce charisma he radiated, like an impenetrable storm. "Your injuries have healed, then?" Braev asked before Ringabel could say a word.

To Edea, the words would've sounded brusque and dismissive. But to him, who had learned the hidden thoughts behind Braev's words as Alternis, and as Ringabel had heard those thoughts confirmed in other worlds, they were an affirmation of his homecoming. "Yes, Lord Marshal. I am now ready to return to my duties."

Braev looked up at last, studying Ringabel with the ice-blue eyes he shared with his daughter. "You've... gotten taller."

"I stand taller, now."

"That's not the only thing, is it?"

He knew. Somehow, he knew, had at least a notion of what he'd gone through. Of course he did, Ringabel chided himself. Pretty much nothing got past the lord marshal. The realization caused relief to flood through him, making him happy that he'd been noticed. "Will you... listen to my report?"

Braev gestured for him to take a seat. His seat, the one he used as a member of the Council of Six, to Braev's right. Braev pushed the coffee pot to Ringabel as he sat down. "I'm listening."

Ringabel poured himself a cup, letting it warm his hands. "I'm happy to report that together with your daughter and her companions, we defeated the Evil One. But that isn't what closed the Great Chasm or saved the world. And it isn't what happened the first time."

Brave watched, silent but attentive. Ringabel took a breath to steady himself. "The first time we faced Airy... I wasn't able to protect her. I wasn't able to do anything for her." _But I've overcome that now. I've become stronger._ "Airy... killed her, and her companions. Somehow, I fell through the Holy Pillar, and landed in another world, with no memory of who I was."

"Another world?"

"A world very similar to this one. Right down to the tragedies that came to pass." Ringabel finally took a sip of the coffee. "I met the Edea of that world, and her companions, and not knowing anything, I came to travel with them. I even fought that world's version of myself. Then, all as part of Airy's plan, we landed in another world, and did the same things again. But it was necessary to stop her... to stop her master, Ouroborus. We fought them... and we won. The sage of that world offered me a chance to go back in time to save your daughter, so I took it. This time, I..."

Braev's hand came to rest on Ringabel's armored shoudler. "You had far more burdens placed on you than I could have ever anticipated," he said, his voice low. "But you also rose above them better than I could have ever hoped. Well done, Alternis. You fulfilled your mission splendidly. I'm very proud of you."

Ringabel felt his eyes sting. There were few words that could have had more impact on him, few words that he craved more. "Thank you... Thank you very much."


	2. Displacement: Part 2

As soon as he entered his bedroom, Ringabel took off his helmet- a movement that was starting to become automatic. The sun outside had already dipped below the mountains' edge, leaving a bit of color in its wake, so he lit the lanterns, bringing up soft light in the room. Eventually, he needed to think about getting some dinner, but for now, he just wanted to rest a bit. Trying to keep up with Eternia while waging a multi-pronged war had been difficult, he had thought, but keeping track of Eternia in peacetime was even worse. It didn't help that they had lost so many officers during the struggle to save the world.

He couldn't really blame Edea for that. Although he didn't know if things had progressed the same in this world, he had seen the darkness and corruption spreading through Eternia's forces. The end result, though, was the same - too much work, not enough skilled hands to do it. But he was here, at least, and he'd do what he could, even if it meant burning the lanterns late into the day.

An evening drink and some time to work on his replacement journal sounded good, so he picked up a bottle of cider and his pot, moving toward the fireplace. That was when he noticed the balcony door, ajar slightly and letting a bit of snow and wind in. Who had been so sloppy as to enter his room and leave the door open? Cold in Eternia was a constant battle - no one would normally be that absentminded. Shutting the door, he turned back toward the fireplace, and nearly dropped the pot and bottle.

Airy lay in front of the fire, wings spread but still, her eyes closed as she shivered. Ringabel carefully set down the items in his hands, drawing his sword. He had failed to finish her off on the Grandship, but now was his chance to correct that mistake and end her path of destruction. But something stayed his hand as he studied her, noticing the frost covering her wings. It had been a desert, not a snowy country, but he knew what it was like to almost succumb to cold. Instead, he put the tip next to her face, and said in a low tone, "What are you doing here?"

Her eyes snapped open, wide with surprise as she clumsily tried to scramble away. "Tell me about Ouroboros!" she shouted, falling back into a heap of her own wings and stiff limbs.

"Ouroboros?" Ringabel frowned. "Ouroboros is dead."

"You're lying!" She gave up on trying to get away, and instead glared at him, as if she could stare him down.

He wasn't bothered. "I'm not lying. I helped end him with my own hands."

"You _are_ lying! There's no way Master Ouroboros could be defeated by a bunch of mere humans!"

"You can argue with me if you like." He put the sword away, returning to his pot. "But you already know, don't you? The Great Chasm is gone."

She shook her head, her whole body trembling with the movement. "You're lying... Tell me you're lying."

"Ouroboros is dead," Ringabel repeated, pouring some cider into the pot before he stepped around her to put it on the fire. "I swear to you I am not lying."

He wasn't sure what he expected, but nonetheless, Airy's reaction came as a surprise. "No, no," she protested, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks in streams. "He can't be. It has to be a lie... Master Ouroboros..." Any further words were lost in incoherent sobs, her whole body shaking as she cried.

 _How odd_ , he thought. _To think that a monster can show sorrow._ How many times had she undoubtedly slaughtered the Alternis of other worlds, along with the other Edeas, the other Tizes and Agneses, over the hundred thousand years she had spent linking ten thousand worlds? She'd almost killed him, had killed Edea once. So why, he wondered, was he instead curious about this hidden side?

Airy's cries didn't stop until she finally fell asleep, exhausted. Approaching her again, he lifted up one of her wings, looking at the pattern. No number, but instead a shape that more resembled a lowercase "i". What did that mean in terms of her linking of worlds? And just as importantly, why was she here at all when Airy had died at the hands of her beloved Ouroborus, not long before he himself had perished? Ringabel could only guess that it was an effect of his coming back in time. If he had a chance, he'd ask the sage about it.

This definitely needed to go in his journal - the new one, not his replacement. He removed the pot from the fire, pouring it into a glass, then retrieved his journal. Pausing by his wardrobe, he sighed, then opened it up. A fur-lined scarf-from Mahzer, he recalled-would work well enough. He sat down in his chair to write, but not before carefully wrapping the cold fairy up in the scarf, setting her back down by the fire.

* * *

She was still there when he returned to his room the next day. Airy had apparently been feeling well enough to leave the scarf - it looked like she'd at least nibbled at the food he'd left out - but now she was wrapped up in the scarf, as if it could cocoon her from the harsh universe. "What does the symbol on your wings mean?"

Her eyes were dull, her body language withdrawn. He knew that look, had seen it before - not on himself, but on another world's version of himself, so shattered by Edea's untimely death that he had most likely sought death himself. Another person that he couldn't save. "I don't know," she said at last. "What is it?"

"It looks like an 'i'," Ringabel said, drawing the figure in the air.

If anything, the response seemed to make her more depressed. "It's not an 'i'. It's the imaginary unit."

"Imaginary unit?"

"There's no real number that will lead me back to him," she murmured, sinking down into the scarf.

"I see." He took a seat by the fire, sitting down with his dinner.

At length, she spoke again. "Why didn't you kill me?"

"I don't know," he replied, honest.

"You should have killed me. It would have been a mercy."

"Maybe that's why I didn't." He gestured to his plate. "Are you hungry? Or thirsty?"

"No." She hugged her knees to her chest. "Did I... fail him? Is that why I'm left without him? Was I... unable to do anything for him? Why am I still alive when he is dead?"

"I'm trying to figure that out." He drummed his fingers on the edge of his chair, debating how much to say. On the other hand, it wasn't like Airy could go back in time herself, or she surely would have done it by now. "I think you're another version of yourself that was created when I came back in time to stop you, after defeating Ouroboros. Originally, you did go on to link all ten thousand worlds."

For the first time, hope sparked in her eyes. "I did? I managed to fulfill my mission? Did I... and Master Ouroboros..." She wiped at her face. "Dying with him...that wouldn't have been so bad."

"I don't agree with that." He watched her, debating whether he wanted to say what he was thinking, what he remembered. "You didn't die with him. He tired of you and devoured you himself."

Her head snapped up, and this expression, too, Ringabel understood. It was being in the grip of terror, afraid of being abandoned. "No, he wouldn't-"

"Cattle," he said. "That's what he called you. Once you filled your function for him, he had no more use for you."

"No! That can't be, he would never-I was his most loyal, most valuable servant!" she shouted. "You... You're lying to me!"

"I haven't lied to you yet. And even I would not be so cruel to tell that lie to you. But Ouroboros has no empathy for other living things. In his eyes, you and humans alike were nothing but pieces of food for his devouring." He let out a sigh. "Humans aren't cattle. And I don't think you are, either. I'm glad he's gone. Not just because he was trying to destroy ten thousand worlds for his own selfish desire."

Airy didn't respond. "Well, you have time to think about it and decide whether it's a lie or not," Ringabel said. "Have something to eat for now, and rest."

* * *

"She's made improvements in the last few days," the doctor told Ringabel, "enough that I think she can have visitors, though only a few."

"I see. Have the lord marshal and his daughter already been to visit?"

The doctor blinked, as if surprised that Ringabel knew. "Yes, they have, separately. The lord marshal was the first as soon as I said she was able to see visitors."

That for once, he'd put Mahzer over the country... he probably already knew, as did Mahzer. Unable to remount the cables to the barely-in-check Earth Crystal, the Central Healing Ward was feeling the ill aftermath. If medicine had been advanced a hundred years in the other world, it was barely fifty here. Weeks or decades, no one could say for sure how much longer Mahzer was for this world. That's why he, too, had prioritized a visit.

Mahzer lay in bed in her sunlit white room, propped up with pillows, appearing to be resting lightly from her body language. Her eyes were covered with some sort of spell cloth, trying to preserve the eyesight that had started to fail. As Ringabel approached, she shifted on the bed, turning her head as if to look at him. "Who is it?"

"It is I, Lady Mahzer," he replied, kneeling by her bed and taking her hand in his. "Alternis Dim."

"Alternis?" She reached her other hand forward. "Let me see your face. Well," she chuckled, "as best I can, anyway."

He brought her other hand to his face, letting her fingers paint a picture for her mind. The room fell into a comfortable silence, until she spoke again. "You're not Alternis... Who are you?"

"Huh?"

"You have a gentle voice," she said, touching the scar on his temple. "And your hands are strong, but supportive. But your face and voice are different. I know Alternis's hands and voice well. Who are you?"

He stayed still, unsure of what to say. He had no doubt she did know his voice and his hands, and she was no doubt right that his hands and voice had changed from what they were. He could still try to convince her... but it struck him that there wasn't much of a point. Arguing with a sick woman would only be to her detriment. When her eyes recovered, it would be okay to tell her then. "Alternis... is still recovering from his injuries. His life is not in danger. He'll make a full recovery, Lady Mahzer. Please, be at ease."

"I see. Thank you," she said with a smile. "You didn't want me to worry, right? You're very kind." She gave his hand a squeeze. "What is your name?"

"...Ringabel." Why not?

"Ringabel... What a beautiful name. Like the melody of a trickling mountain spring."

"More like a babbling brook," he said with a slight smile.

She laughed, then turned her head as someone knocked at the door. "Thank you for coming to visit me, Ringabel. If it's not too much trouble, perhaps we could talk again?"

"Of course, Lady Mahzer." He touched her hand to his forehead briefly, then stood. "Please take care of yourself."

Once outside her room, he put his helmet back on, then started the trip back home to Central Command. Lady Mahzer would be all right, he told himself. She would recover her eyesight, and then they would joke about the mistaken identity. He needed to work harder to make sure that Braev and Edea would have time to be able to visit her. That was what he kept telling himself as he reached his room at last, taking off his helmet as he entered.

To his surprise, Airy was not by the fire, but she hadn't run off, either. She hovered by the bookshelf, squinting at the spines. "Why do you have so many books?"

"Good evening to you, too." He dissolved the rest of his armor off, back into the darkness it was made of, and joined her at the bookshelf. "I like to read."

"What's so great about it?" She crossed her legs, sitting in midair.

"Knowledge is power. You can better understand your situation, your surroundings... It can help you with mysteries you can't solve alone." He brushed a hand over the spines. "Don't you have things you want to understand?"

She flinched at the question. It didn't take much imagination to figure out where her thoughts had gone. "Why don't you try reading a few," Ringabel suggested, pulling out his kettle for an evening drink. "Since you're up here all day, you may as well spend some time doing something. It'll help you."

She rested her elbows on her knees, chin in her hands. "Why are you acting like I'm going to stay here? I could escape from you at any time, you know. I'm not your prisoner."

"Where would you go?"

Another flinch. "That's..."

"You can stay here," he said, pulling his journal off the shelf. "Let's call a truce for now. You won't hurt me, and I won't hurt you."

She followed him with a flutter of her wings as he sat down in his chair by the fire. "You tried to kill me."

"You tried to kill me first. But we don't have any reason to attack each other any more." Ringabel flipped to the first blank page and dated it, starting with his meeting with Mahzer. Airy didn't say anything else, but after a while, he felt her land on his shoulder, silently watching him write. The only sound in the room now was the crackling of the fireplace, the scratching of the pen on paper. The wood-burning smell coupled with the smell of the heating cider, creating a warming atmosphere. Everything was the same as it normally was, but somehow, the presence of the small weight on his shoulder made it feel... comfortable.


	3. Displacement: Part 3

"I asked Father to appoint me to the Council," Edea said. Without waiting for a reply, she continued, "But he said no."

"I'm not surprised." The two walked side by side through Central Command, on their way to their respective rooms for the evening. "Now isn't a good time."

"How is it not a good time? The Council is just down to you and Father, since Lord DeRosso and that perverted sage never show up. I want to help my home country, too."

"The Council is down two because you killed them both, Edea."

Her lips set in a thin line. "Are you criticizing my decision in that? Victoria was mad and her keeper equally so. She would have killed us all."

"She was bitter. And Victor did save my life, even if he wasn't that happy about it. I did owe him one." Ringabel walked a few steps in front of her, holding back a sigh. "But that's beside the point. Think about it; if killing a member of the Council got you placed on it, what kind of example would that set? Heading the new Sky Knights is enough for the moment."

"It's not enough for me. Even if they were all as black as tar, I weakened Eternia's command. I need to pull more than my own weight."

'Weakened Eternia's command'. She still didn't want to call it what it was: death at her hands, particularly that of her mentor and her fellow trainee. "Give it time. There may be better things for you to do outside the Council, anyway."

She didn't reply as they entered the elevator together. As it began to move, she said, "When did Victor save your life, anyway?"

"Ah, well… That was back in Eisenberg," Ringabel answered. No need to let her know about what Qada had done. His body hurt just remembering that time.

"Oh…" She hung her head. "Alternis, I'm sorry about that. Are you… mad at me about that?"

He turned to look at her. "Do you think I'm mad at you?"

She shrank back from him, even though she couldn't see his expression. As if she were afraid of him, she who had never been afraid. "I don't know, Alternis. I thought I knew who you were. You always had my back. Now you're walking ahead of me, and I don't know your back. Ever since we came back from fighting Airy, it's like you've been a different person. Why can't we go back to how things were?"

He wasn't sure what to say. An apology came to his lips, but something stopped him from speaking it. He wasn't sorry that he'd collected enough self-worth to be able to look at people in the eye, that he had enough confidence to step out of the shadows, that he'd been able to finally accept both who he was and who he had been and forgive himself for some of his mistakes and failings. He had nothing to be sorry for. "Am I that difficult to accept?"

"People don't just… change overnight. You, and… the others I fought. It's like everyone went mad. Or maybe I'm just the one going mad."

"Edea…." He took off his helmet, holding it in one hand, and tilted her chin up to meet his face. "Edea, look at me. I promise you that you're not going mad-"

"I'm not? I'm being lectured by someone I don't even know. You've never _touched_ me, Alternis, not if you could help it. Who are you? This is the only Alternis I know," she said, pointing to the helmet under his arm.

"Edea, is that how you think of me? A faceless helmet?" He held it out, but his voice wasn't angry. "Is this all I am to you?"

"How else am I supposed to know you?" she shot back.

"I'm trying to show you!"

"Well, now is a terrible time!" The elevator door dinged, and she bolted out, making a beeline for her room. Ringabel stayed where he was, letting the doors shut. Using his Council override, he sent the elevator up to the top floor.

As he had expected, Braev was once again in the central chamber, making notes on something. "Have a seat," he said without looking up.

"Yes, lord marshal."

He glanced up as Ringabel spoke-he must have noticed the difference in his voice without the helmet. But he said nothing as Ringabel set his helmet on the table, reaching for the coffee pot. "Edea made that, so be warned."

Her name was enough to put him off it, if not the promised overly sweet taste. "She told me she asked you about a Council seat."

"I told her no. What did you tell her?"

"I agreed. She's not ready yet." He hopped off the chair, moving into a side room to get fresh coffee supplies. "She's still a child."

"You were younger when I put you on the Council. Victoria, too."

"That may have been a mistake in both cases."

"I disagree. You worked very hard."

Ringabel brought the kit out, setting about making a fresh pot. "I was still a child. Someone that's emotionally fragile isn't the kind of person you want helping to lead a country."

"The purpose of the Council of Six was not merely to make decisions in the here and now. We must always look to future generations to pass the reins to. I had hoped you and Victoria would be able to grow, thinking about your country."

"Victoria couldn't. I don't know that I could have, either. And I don't think Edea will. She needs to be challenged in a way that forces her to stop and think. She can't gut-react to everything."

"I agree." Braev returned to his writing while Ringabel waited for the water to finish heating. "You took off your helmet."

"No one else will come up here. Does... it bother you, lord marshal?"

"Do as you wish."

Ringabel pulled the kettle away from the fire, carefully pouring both himself and Braev a cup. Sitting back down, he held the cup in his hands, staring down into its black depths. "In regards to the Council," Braev said. "I'm drafting a proposal regarding the remaining two seats. As a current member, you'll have to approve this, as will Yulyana and Lester." Braev slid a few pages over to him. "If you'd like to make suggestions, notate them on a separate page."

Ringabel nodded, his eyes now focused and sharp on the words on the page before him. He read through all the pages first at a quick clip, then again at a slower pace, absorbing it more slowly. "Lord Marshal, I'm not sure I understand this."

"You don't understand the language, or the reasoning behind it?"

"The latter. You'd open up the two remaining seats to civilians? And to a general election?"

"Historically, the Orthodoxy has held elections, even if in modern times it was considered more of a formality. It will ease some of the resentment over my continued presence."

"I know. I've read the histories. A corrupt election is also how the Orthodoxy got its start," Ringabel pointed out.

"Which is why they will be checked against those who are appointed. I'll remind you that no one elected the Earth vestal, and yet she was just as corrupt as the rest. There is no path that is completely free of darkness."

"I know. I remember." Ringabel set the papers down, and picked up his mug. "What if they turn against you?"

"Then perhaps it will mean that my time is up. Regardless of the methods of being chosen, there is no leader in this world that can lead without the support of the people, Alternis. My rebellion would have never came to pass if not for all those who trusted in me."

"I do trust you. But I have the courage to disobey, too." The coffee was dark and bitter, warming him to his toes. "I'll withhold judgment until I see the full draft, but... I'm willing to try placing a little trust in this country."

* * *

Without his armor and helmet, down in the center of the Eternia market, he was no more than another shopper, and for once, Ringabel found that a little comforting. No one here recognized the dark knight, member of the Council of Six, so no one treated him with reverence or fear, instead acting as they would around any other stranger, be it friendly, impassive, or rude. It was a refreshing change of pace.

Also refreshing was the feel of the cold Eternia air on his exposed face, seeping in through his clothing. Normally, he never noticed the cold inside his armor. In fact, it hadn't been until his journey as Ringabel that he'd felt it at all. The cold was like a peek into the windows of the typical Eternian, putting into context their die-hard determination and their surprising warmth for their fellow human beings. The corrupt and heartless Orthodoxy may have ruled here for centuries, he thought, but they had never truly conquered the people of Eternia.

Finding a shop selling what he needed, he let himself in, the bell over the door tinkling. "Ho there!" the shopkeeper's voice greeted him from somewhere in the back. "What can I do you for, friend?"

"I need a new bag," Ringabel said, pulling his old one out from inside his jacket. "Or repairs, if it's possible."

The shopkeeper appeared from around a shelf. To his surprise, the owner of the low but hearty voice was a woman, heavyset but tall. _She could be Datz and the proprietoress's long lost sibling_ , Ringabel thought to himself as the woman took the bag in her hands, looking over it.

"Broken strap, eh?" she said, examining its length. "I could patch it up pretty quickly, but I wouldn't count on it to hold for that long. See, here and here," she pointed at other thinning spots on the strap, "they're not much longer for this world, either. Usually when one spot starts to go, the rest are ready. So you could replace the whole strap..." she turned the bag over, running her fingers along its bottom, "but in the long run, this here is going to give way, too. If you're not looking for a temporary solution, the best bet is to just buy a new one. So how much does this one mean to you?" she asked, placing it on the counter.

"That's about what I expected. Not that much," he said with a shake of his head. "It was a gift, but the person that gave it to me has given me much more than a bag."

The shopkeeper grinned, a twinkle in her eye. "Family? Or maybe a girlfriend?"

"Family. A mother."

"Oh, no girlfriend then?" she asked as she waved him to follow. "Shame, a pretty face like yours is popular with the ladies, I bet."

"It was, once. There's only one woman in the whole universe for me, though."

"Spoken like a true romantic and gentleman." She waved a hand at a rack full of bags and satchels similar in size to the one he'd brought in. "Here's what I've got in stock right now. If nothing catches your eye, let me know. We can do custom orders."

"It needs to be large enough to hold a book or two," Ringabel said, "and the strap has to fit over armor."

"There's some leather-bound journals over there if you want to check the size," the shopkeeper said. "You're in the military?"

"Yes, I am."

"That seems like a waste," she sighed. "Young men are all too eager to go off and die nowadays. That's what happened to my son, you know. Went off to die in some blasted far-off land of fire."

"I'm sorry for your loss." He picked up a dark-colored leather bag, checking the size. "But I'm sure he fought for the same reason I do - so that our loved ones don't have to feel the effects of war. So that eventually, there will no longer be a need for fighting. That Eternia is at peace right now is due in part to your son's efforts. His death was not in vain."

She let out a low chuckle. "You're a kind young man, aren't you? Your girlfriend is a lucky lady."

"I'm not that kind." The dark bag had a second pouch, lined with fur and ribbed. "What's the ribbing in this made of?"

"Frosti rib. Gives it some flexibility so it's not brittle," the woman said, turning her attention back to business. "So you can store a little something in there without worrying about it being crushed, like a late-night snack or something of that nature."

He threw the bag around his shoulder, checking the fit. "I think this one will work fine."

"You've an eye for quality, young man," she said with a grin. "Just come up front and I'll put it on the books. What do you want to do with your old bag?"

"I guess I'll dispose of it."

"I can take care of that for you, if you like." She patted a hand on the old bag. "I'll give 'er a proper sending off, that I will."

As he pulled out his wallet, something in the evening sunlight caught his eye, a familiar shape. _Airy?_ No, on a second look, it wasn't the fairy, but a set of clothes the same size, carefully posed on a tiny wooden mannequin.

The shopkeeper followed his gaze. "Oh, does your girlfriend collect dolls? My granddaughter and I make those."

"Something like that," he said, examining the clothing more carefully. It was a set of warm clothing, the kind you'd find anywhere in Eternia, complete with little boots and mittens. _Now that I think about it, maybe the reason Airy hasn't left is because she_ can't _. She was half-frozen when I found her._ "The doll has wings, though," he said, drawing a butterfly shape in the air.

"Ah, then what I'd do is just make a couple of slits, like so," she gestured on the back of the jacket, "with clasps at the bottom. That way it retains its shape without damaging the wings."

"Could you do that, then?"

"Sure thing, hon. Let me just finish with the books here, and then I'll get right to work on it."

By the time she'd finished with the modifications to the outfit, it was well past dinner time, leaving him a choice to try and get something in town, or just retrieve something from the central Command's cafeteria when he returned. It would be late by the time he got back, so there probably wouldn't be much in the cafeteria, so maybe some hunk of meat he could put over the fire. He picked up his pace, moving toward the butchers and food sellers. In front of him, the crowds were thinning out, starting to head home. It was thanks to that that he noticed her at all, waiting on the corner, hands behind her back.

"Agnes?" She looked up at her name, blinking at him, though her usual placid expression showed nothing else. "Why, it is you," Ringabel continued, coming to a stop next to her. "What brings you to Eternia?"

She studied his face intently, not responding right away. "You're... Mr. Alternis, correct?"

"Yes, that's me. So what brings you here?"

"The Earth Crystal, of course," she replied primly. "I wished to check on it, and to see if there were any potential children to take the post of vestaling. Your lord marshal has agreed to assist in this search."

"Of course." A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "You are always welcome in Eternia. Do you need an escort?"

"No, I-"

"Agnes!" They both turned at Edea's voice. She came bouncing up to them, slowing as she spotted Ringabel. "Oh... Alternis. What are you doing here?"

"Errands." Even though their fight in the elevator had been a few weeks ago, he had barely seen her since then, and the few times their paths had crossed had been terse. Maybe here was a chance to talk it out with her. "Actually, I was about to go get something to eat. Are you guys hungry? My treat. There's a great fish place around here..."

Edea put her arm around Agnes, pulling the vestal to her possessively. "Just what are you up to, Alternis?"

"Thank you for the offer," Agnes said, "but I do not partake of fish or other animals."

"Oh..." That's right, this wasn't his Agnes, the one he had traveled with for two years. The one he had convinced to start eating fish and meat out of respect for its life. No, this was an Agnes he had spent a mere few days with, discussing the state of the world. "My mistake."

"Let's go, Agnes," Edea said, leading her away. "There's a nice vegetarian restaurant we can go to. See you later, Alternis!"

He watched them leave, then moved around the corner, recalling his armor and helmet. Right now, he didn't want anyone to see his face. He'd been so excited to see a familiar face that hadn't treated him like a stranger, he had forgotten that they _were_ strangers. His Agnes, his Tiz, were both on the other side of an impenetrable barrier between worlds. And the Edea here was his younger sister, no matter how many fights they had, but the Edea that was his, that he loved, wasn't anywhere in this world. His Edea.

In the months since he had returned to his own world, he had tried not to think about her, had tried to fill his time with his family and the people he knew here instead. But the more they pulled away, the more it punctuated the fact that three of the people he considered family, he'd never see again. _Don't think about it,_ he told himself. _The last thing I need right now is to lose control of my power because I'm feeling sorry for myself._

As he expected, the cafeteria hadn't had much by the time he got back to Central Command, but it was food and that was enough. He didn't think he even had interest in heating it over the fire- just eating and going to bed would be enough. Most of Central Command had fallen quiet, shutting down for the night and leaving the halls empty. That was fine with him, Ringabel thought as he pushed open his door, taking off his helmet.

"Welcome back, master!"

He paused, helmet in his hands. Airy was smiling at him, beaming even. "Huh?"

"I said, welcome back, master. While you were gone, I dusted off your shelves and cleaned out your pot and kettle. I was hoping you'd be back soon, so I started some cider on the fire." She flitted over to the fire, then back again. "I smell food. Shall we get a pan or something for that?"

Now he noticed the smell of mulling spices in the air, emanating from the fire. "Um, thank you," he said slowly, setting his bag and box of food down on the table. "But what's this 'master' thing?"

"I made a decision," she said, her back to Ringabel as she eyed the pots he used for his evening drink. "Ouroboros, shmoroboros. Who needs that jerk? You're ten times better than he ever was."

He opened a drawer and pulled out a pan, setting it on the fire. "But why me?"

She took a seat on his shoulder as he pulled the cider pot off. "I... read your journals, you know."

He glanced at her, then turned his attention back to the cider. "I didn't say you couldn't."

"I guess... I just thought we had a lot in common. We've both... been betrayed. We've both lost someone we care about. And we both know what it's like to not have a place where we belong."

Her words hit closer to home than he would've liked to admit. Edea came to his mind again, and he focused on pouring the hot cider into glasses. "Aren't you worried? I could betray you, too."

"If you're going to betray me... please just kill me first. I'd rather die happy than be betrayed again. I don't think I could survive it a second time." She rubbed at her face. "You must think that's pretty stupid of me."

"You know," he said quietly, "when the other you turned on us, it was Agnes, who was closest to you, who felt the most betrayed. She wondered if she had done the wrong thing in trusting you. It was Tiz that told her that it's never wrong to trust in someone. That no one could ever blame her for having trust. So I don't think it's stupid of you. That takes a lot of courage."

"Master..."

"You don't have to call me 'Master' though," he said, managing a smile. "Oh, that reminds me. I have something for you." Her eyes got wide as he pulled out the clothing from the bag, helping her put it on. "I thought it might help keep you warm. Oh, it looks pretty cute on you."

Her expression radiated a simple joy that Ringabel didn't think he'd ever seen on her face before, snuggling down into the clothing, wings fluttering. "Master, you're the best."

A smile touched his lips. At least, in this quiet room, with his odd roommate, he had a small place where he did belong.


	4. Displacement: Part 4

Once they had left Eternian skies, Ringabel insisted on piloting the airship himself. There was something just so enjoyable about the feel of the crisp high-altitude skies, the power of the ship under his fingertips, the rumbling and smell of the engines. "Councillor," of the crewmen addressed Ringabel from behind, "we're now clear of the Eternia highlands, and have clear skies to Ancheim."

"Understood. We're going to be making a side trip, though," Ringabel called back.

"Sir?"

"To Caldisla. The lord marshal would like me to inspect the Norende highlands where the Great Chasm was before we check on the new airships."

"Ah, I see, sir." The crewman checked the position of the sun and the sea. "It'll take us a few hours to reach Caldisla, then. I'll go double-check our course and notify you if we need any course adjustments."

"Thank you. That'll be all for now." Ringabel waited until the door behind him had shut, then took off his helmet, setting it next to the wheel. "Coast is clear, Airy."

She pulled herself out from his bag, taking a seat on his shoulder. "Brr! It's still cold out here," she complained, hunkering down in her winter clothing.

"We're still plenty north, and up high to boot," Ringabel told her. "It won't really improve until we get lower once we're over the Caldis continent."

"Can't be too soon. But what are you going to Norende for? To see where the Great Chasm was? It's not there."

"I didn't think it was. There's someone in Norende I want to see."

"Someone? It's not that Norende boy, Tiz, is it?" Airy scowled. "I don't want to see him."

"I doubt he wants to see you, either," Ringabel said with a snort of amusement. "But no. I'm looking for a child."

"A child?"

"Someone I met a while back."

Airy watched him, but didn't press further. "You took off your helmet again, huh. Why don't you just leave it off?"

"It bothers people if I leave it off. They're not used to seeing me without a helmet. That's not what their mental image of 'Alternis' is."

"But you don't like wearing it, do you?"

Ringabel paused to check the wind before answering. "It's more that I've just gotten used to not wearing it. When I ended up in the other world, I didn't remember that in this world, I relied on it. Funny what a good dose of amnesia will do for your social anxieties."

"Hm..." Airy studied his face again. "You really are different from Ouroboros, you know."

"I would hope so. He's not exactly a great standard of person."

"Yeah, but I mean... Ouroboros was just so... solid. I never knew what he was thinking. If he made mistakes, he never let me see them. He was an inpenetrable wall to me. You're not so high up and far off. I would never be able to talk to him like this."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I guess it is."

Ringabel smiled, then returned his attention to piloting. Airy snuggled down on his shoulder, the pair taking in the clouds and endless blue sky together.

The airship made its landing at Lontano Villa, and Ringabel left his crew to mingle and rest with the native Caldislans. Many of them hadn't left Eternia at all, let alone in the six months since the Great Chasm had closed and the Eternian forces had withdrawn from around the world. Getting to talk to other airship crews and enthusiasts would hopefully give them something in common.

Norende was every bit as sleepy and rural as he expected it to be, just from knowing Tiz. It did have a beauty of its own, with lush green hills spotted with trees, tall grass waving in the wind. Sheep and cows roamed lazily over the hills, munching away. If he hadn't seen the Great Chasm before, he wouldn't have been able to tell where the repaired landscape began. Small houses dotted the hills, and from his vantage point Ringabel could see a few villagers walking about. Hopefully, the one he wanted was here.

He started by moving down the hills, toward the sheep. He'd shed his armor, which seemed to be a good choice, as the sheep didn't seem to care in the slightest that he was there. Down at the base of the hill, a clump of sheep had gathered, and Ringabel spotted his target at the center of them. "Egil!"

The young boy looked up at his name, regarding Ringabel curiously. "Hello, mister!" he greeted, waving politely. "Who are you?"

Of course, he probably didn't recognize him without the armor. "It's me, Alternis. We helped each other out in Eisenberg." Seeing the boy's dubious expression, he called on his armor again, causing the sheep to scamper back in alarm. "Remember me now?"

His face finally lit up in recognition. "Oh yeah! Ack, the sheep!" he realized.

Ringabel recalled his armor, staying put as Egil ushered the sheep back down the hill. "Egil? Are you all right?" another voice called from further below, a familiar voice. Tiz appeared over the crest of a lower hill, pausing as he saw Ringabel. "Oh... Uh, welcome to Norende."

"Thank you."

"Big brother Tiz!" Egil came running back down the hill with a child's enthusiasm, having gathered the rest of the errant sheep. "Don't worry, I got it under control."

"I see that." Tiz rocked on his heels awkwardly, clearly unsure of how to proceed with the conversation.

At least his reactions were honest, Ringabel thought. "I'm in the area to survey where the Great Chasm was on behalf of the lord marshal," he supplied. "Since I was in the area, I thought I would say hi to Egil. How have you both been?"

"I've been great," Egil said. "I get to train with the Caldislan knights, and I help big brother Tiz out with the rebuilding here. When I grow up, I'm going to be a guard just like my parents and protect Norende."

"Good. You keep working hard, Egil. Sounds like you really like it here."

"Yep!" He beamed. "Everyone here is so nice. And the food is really good, too!"

"How is reconstruction going?" Ringabel addressed to Tiz.

"Better than I would have thought, actually." Tiz rubbed at his neck. "So many people came to give help or settle here. I mean, it's not exactly the same-it never will be-but we can still make it a place to be proud of."

"The simple life appeals to a lot of people," Ringabel said with a nod. "Surrounded by nature and a few good friends. And Norende has the location and the landscape for it."

"Yes, as long as another Great Chasm doesn't open up here. It worries me sometimes." Tiz frowned. "Oh, Mr. Alternis. I forgot to mention it to you, though you may already know. Airy's still alive. She came to visit this place and demanded I tell her about Ouroboros. I didn't know what she was talking about, but I couldn't kill her before she escaped again. I thought you and Edea might be in danger."

Ringabel felt Airy stir in his pouch, no doubt unhappy at being that close to Tiz. "Don't worry about her. I took care of her. She won't cause any other problems. And the Ouroboros she was looking for is dead, so the Great Chasm won't ever open up again."

"What are you guys talking about?" Egil interrupted. "Big brother Tiz, we gotta gather the sheep before I go back to Caldisla. C'mon, give me a hand."

"I won't keep you further, then," Ringabel said. "I only have a little time in Caldis myself, so I'll finish my survey and be on my way. It was a pleasure talking with you again, Tiz."

"Same to you. If you need to know anything further about Norende, feel free to ask."

"Big brother Tiz! Come _on._ "

"Goodbye, Egil," Ringabel called up the hill, then set his way back up a different hill, moving in the direction of Lontano.

Airy waited until the voices of the two boys and the sound of sheep could no longer be heard. "Master?"

"Yes?"

"Was that really all you wanted down there?"

"It's not like I expected to be able to take him away or bring him to Eternia," he murmured. "Egil should stay in Norende. Tiz will take care of him. I trust him."

"But... Then what did you want?"

"I guess... maybe it would've been nice if he'd recognized me. If he'd come running to greet me and have given me a hug. I feel like this world is rejecting me, Airy. Like I wasn't meant to be here."

"But if you hadn't come here, I wouldn't be here at all, right? I would've died."

"Yes, eventually, after you killed Tiz and Agnes and Edea. I don't regret coming back for that. Maybe this is just punishment for breaking the laws of time." Airy didn't respond. Ringabel couldn't blame her; what could she say? "Let's get back to the ship and make our way to Harena."

* * *

 

Once they had landed in the Harena Port, docking at the airship factory, duty had called. Ringabel was dragged over every inch of the factory by proud shipbuilders and engineers, each pointing out their latest developments. No one had believed in the technology when the factory had first started production some twenty-some years ago, but Eternia's near-domination of the world had demonstrated their potency. Now they were getting requests from Florem, from Eisen, all wanting their own ships. But Eternia, their initial investors, would always be their number-one customers. Ringabel did his best to pay attention, taking as many notes as he could. He had to admit that their enthusiasm aside, the signs did point to a more international community, which could be nothing but good, he thought.

With that done, it was time for the ship to undergo maintenance, keeping Ringabel in Harena for several days. Or at least, it would have, if not for a hoverbike in the hold and another task. Even with the hoverbike, though, he knew it was going to be a long trip, leaving him a limited amount of time to get his task done. "How does the map look, Airy?"

She sat in front of him, letting the wind pin the map against his stomach. "If we stay along this path, we should see it soon," she shouted over the sound of the wind. "We saved a good bit of time by taking the beach south of Fragmentum."

"Good. I need all the time I can get. Convincing the old geezer is probably going to be no walk in the park."

"At least it's warmer here," she said, leaning her back against the map. "And this machine sure is fast."

"Just one of the reasons I like things I can pilot. Horses wouldn't do well over this terrain and switch in weather." He shuddered. He'd learned long ago how to ride the dire goats that populated the Eternian mountains and were used for riding and pack animals, but it didn't mean he liked doing it.

To his south, he could see the glint of light off the lake, which meant he was close. Sure enough, the trees soon opened up into open area, culminating in a dock by the lake. "We'll park here," Ringabel said. "It's just across that bridge." Folding up the map, he let Airy into her pocket, then strode forward across the bridge opposite the dock.

If one didn't know what they were looking for, the house, built into a tree and nestled away behind other trees, might be difficult to find. But Ringabel had been here too many times not to know. Pausing by the door, he gave it a firm knock, hoping the sage was in. "Good afternoon, Sage."

"Hm? Who is it?" The door opened, and Sage Yulyana looked up at Ringabel, studying his face. "Hm, who's this?"

"I'm Alternis Dim, sage. We met when I was young."

"Ah, yes, some sixteen years ago, wasn't it?" Yulyana stepped back, letting him enter. "A fine young lad you've become. You're even out of armor today."

"It took some doing." Ringabel looked around at the cozy house, recalling the memories that had been set in this place, in other worlds.

Yulyana followed his gaze, and chuckled. "So what brings you by? Perhaps you're finally ready to learn from the master on how to court the young ladies?"

"There's only one woman I ever want to court."

"Oh ho? No need to settle so fast, lad. You have all the time to take in the beauties of the world."

"She wore your bravo bikini. Does that meet your approval?"

Yulyana looked at him in surprise, then his bushy eyebrows lowered, his face taking on a serious cast. "There's a bit of a story behind that, isn't there? Sit down, and I'll make some tea."

"There is, although it isn't why I came today. I have something for you from the lord marshal."

"Oh? Seeing as you don't seem to have any well-developed young ladies with you, I'm thinking Braev has forgotten my tastes. But go on."

Ringabel withdrew the folded pages from his bag, setting them on the table. "It's a proposal he'd like you to approve. We'd like to give the remaining two seats of the Council to a general election."

Bringing over the tea kettle, Yulyana set it down, picking up the pages instead. "How very interesting. Why would he do that?"

"He wants to give Eternia some say in its future."

"Eternia is where the worst of the Orthodoxy lay for centuries," Yulyana said, taking a seat. "He's striking a hornet's nest."

"He's not going to just up and hand over all control. But he wants to place some trust in the people instead of just ordering them about."

"He's done a good job of ordering them about, I have to admit." Yulyana continued to scan the pages. "Still, Eternia is his homeland, not mine; if he wants to take that risk, I'm not one to stop him. My only concern was with the Great Chasm." He looked over the tops of the pages at Ringabel. "I heard you had something to do with that."

"Where did you hear that?"

"Braev sent me a letter, not long after the chasm closed. But he was not very forthcoming with detail. Would you like to explain, then?"

"If you'd like to listen... I'd be honored to tell you."

"Then do tell, child. And drink your tea."

The tea had a bitter taste, not that reminiscent of coffee, but not unpleasant. "You were aware of Edea's travels with the wind vestal to awaken the crystals, were you not?"

"Of course."

"When the Holy Pillar shone, the Evil One tried to kill them all. The first time, she succeeded." Ringabel took a breath. "I alone survived and fell into another world, without my memories. I met with that world's Edea and wind vestal, and we did the same things that Edea did in this world. To make the story brief, eventually we fought the Evil One and her master, and won. The Yulyana of that world said I had a chance to come back and save those who had been lost, so I took it and came back in time. For this world, there was nothing more than the brief opening of the Holy Pillar... but for me, it was a journey of two years."

"I see. That does explain a lot," Yulyana said. "To be truthful, I was worried when the pillar closed so easily. I didn't think the Evil One alone could call upon that power." He let out a sigh. "That must have been a painful journey for you. Especially to come back here after so long."

"Yes. But it had its good moments, too. It was worth it."

Yulyana studied his face, his gaze missing nothing. "Is that... all you wanted to say?"

 _I miss them. I miss them all so very badly. But this is the place I must stay, right?_ "Sage... could I possibly ask a boon of you?"

"Nothing is too great for one of the Warriors of Light. What can this old man do for you?"

"Is it... Can you possibly communicate with another world?"

"Yes. I know of such a method to do so. Who do you want to communicate with?"

"Yourself. The sage Yulyana of that other world. If I could just know that they're doing well... it would ease my mind."

"That other world, you say... Do you know which one?"

"Which one...?" Ringabel stared. "Do they have labels?"

"I can communicate with another world," Yulyana said, waving his staff for emphasis, "but communicating with a specific world is another matter."

"Master," Airy crawled partway out of the bag. "Master, I can help you pick the right world."

"Airy?"

Behind her, Yulyana raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. "You met me in that other world, right? Do you remember what number was on my wings?"

"The number? It was five," he said slowly. "It had to be five."

"Ah. So it's the 'next' world. That should be easy," she said to Yulyana. "Just make for the shortest distance going 'forward'."

Yulyana chuckled. "I'm not sure that's any easier to quantify in a spell."

"Oh, fine," Airy grumbled. "Just set up your magic circle and I'll fix it."

"Alternis, move that barrel of water right there," he gestured with his staff, "to the center of the room, here." Once Ringabel had done so, Yulyana tapped the butt of his staff against the floor with force. Spell lines sprung from its base, looping around to form the magic circle.

"And here we go," Airy said, darting into the threads of magic. "Let me just fix this here," she ducked under a loop as she tugged on a thread, "and this over here... There. It's set to the right world, now."

Yulyana inspected it, giving it a nod. "Here we go, indeed."

The lines of the spell circle glowed, and the surface of the water danced with its light, rippling. "Go on," Yulyana urged Ringabel.

He stepped into the circle cautiously, peering down into the water. At first, he thought it was a mere reflection of the sage's ceiling- but the angle was wrong. Moments later, the sage's face appeared in the water, staring up. "Hm? Who's calling me? ...Ah, Ringabel?"

Hearing that name brought a lump to his throat. "Sage, can I ask you a quick question? Agnes's vestal garb-"

"I made it, yes. Is that what you wanted to know?"

"It's the right world," he murmured, bracing himself against the edge of the barrel. "It's the right one."

"Of course it is," Airy huffed. "I do take some pride in my work, you know."

The sage's reflection folded his arms. "You went back to your own world, didn't you, Ringabel? I thought for sure you would have stayed here."

"I did. There were things I needed to do here. Sage, about the others... Edea, Tiz, and Agnes. Can you tell me how they're doing? Are they well?"

His expression dropped. "About that..."

Ringabel gripped the sides of the barrel tightly. "'About that'? Did something happen?"

The other Yulyana paced a few steps around the barrel, stroking his beard. "How long has it been since you returned?"

"A little over six months. Why?"

"Ah, good. Then we're on the same schedule here. Tiz... he collapsed a few weeks ago."

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"I don't know what happened; I wasn't there. I went to Eternia to examine him, but I couldn't give any better answers. He's in a very deep sleep and hasn't woken up. Agnes hasn't taken it well."

"Agnes? What's happened to Agnes?" It took all his restraint not to shake the barrel.

"She's fallen ill. Every time I treat her, she slips back within a day or so. I can't help but wonder if it's her heart as much as her health. It's put a lot on Edea."

 _Edea!_ "Sage, please don't string me along. What about Edea?"

"Ah, you wouldn't know. Edea is Eternia's representative to the newly-formed World Council, representing all the regions of the world. As the only living vestal, Agnes's presence has been very important to these meetings. Trying to care for Agnes and cover her illness is difficult enough. If she isn't well by the next meeting, it could have an ill effect on the reforming temples and their relationship with their home countries. And that could wreck everything Edea has worked to build with this World Council. So it's not so much that something has happened to her as she's under a lot of pressure right now." He sighed. "I'm sorry I don't have better news for you regarding your companions. This world has not settled easily into peace."

World Council. It was something that hadn't occurred here. Even as he felt proud of her, he also felt sick with worry. She was in trouble. He couldn't let that be. "Sage, can you reach Edea? Give her a message. Tell her I'll be there as soon as I can. Tell her not to give up, to stay strong until I arrive."

"I can do that," the other Yulyana said, raising his eyebrows, "but how are you planning on getting here?"

"I don't know. I'm working on it."

"I hate to cut this short," Yulyana said from behind him, "but I'm no longer young. Say your goodbyes, Alternis."

"I promise her I'll find a way there," Ringabel said. "Count on it."

The surface of the water turned black, then reflected nothing but his own face. Ringabel pushed himself to his feet, whirling toward Yulyana. "Sage! How can I cross into the next world?"

"There isn't a way," he said slowly. "The only method I know of involves the Holy Pillar, and that will never open again."

"There has to be some way. Please, Sage. You must know something."

He shook his head. "The only two I know of that crossed worlds were you, and the angel who came to us so many years ago. And both of those were caused by the Holy Pillar."

"But you can communicate with that world," Ringabel countered. "Surely you know a way to send me there!"

"It's relatively little to send light and sound to another world, Alternis. To send a whole body is an exponentially larger task. Even I do not have the power to do such a feat, child."

"Then... Does DeRosso know? Can he tell me something?"

Yulyana shook his head. "It's best you give up. You will only make yourself unhappier."

"I will not give up! These are my friends we're talking about, my family! They _need_ me. How can you possibly ask me to abandon them?"

"So you would abandon your family here, then?"

"No, that's..."

Airy watched the exchange, looking back and forth. "Master," she spoke softly into the tense silence that followed, "if it's the 'next' world you want... There is a way."

"Airy?"

"It's true you can't force your way between worlds," she said. "But you can slip between them. I've done it before, many times. But... I've never tried it with a human."

"Do you think it can be done?" Ringabel asked.

"... Yes. I'll do my best. If I borrow some of your power, we should be able to do it."

"Alternis," Yulyana began.

"I know what you're going to say. I'll trust in Airy," Ringabel said. "If you say there's no possible way at all, what have I got to lose?"

"Your life and your place here, child."

He shook his head. "No, Sage. I'm not the 'Alternis' of this world anymore. I'm not the same person, and this world knows it. It's been trying to force me back to the way I was." He let out a sigh. "Sage, when I came back in time, something about that time loop allowed this Airy to exist, even though Airy originally went on to link the ten thousand worlds, and then die. Is it possible that the Alternis I replaced in that time loop is still there?"

"It's... possible. I can't say for sure without examining the flow of time."

"If you can... I have one other favor to ask. Bring that Alternis here. He's the Alternis that everyone has been waiting for. He's the one that belongs here. He... will protect this family for me."

"If you leave this place," Yulyana said, closing his eyes, "where do you expect your place will be, then?"

"I'm going to find out."

* * *

 

"What do we need to do, Airy?"

"We need to get as close to the Holy Pillar's old location as we can," Airy told him, gripping the shoulder of his armor. Right now, Ringabel didn't care who saw her. "I can pinpoint that location."

"We'll need an airship. Blast. I'll ask the lord marshal to send someone to pick it up afterwards," Ringabel said, making it to his room. A room that was full of memories he was preparing to abandon. _I can't hover forever between two identities. I have to make this decision._ "Is this a magic spell?"

"No, it's more like... navigation, I guess. I'll need to study the mathematics of the space around that place so that I can pick the proper route into the next world."

"Mathematics?"

"There's a pattern to the way the worlds are linked. For example, if the Holy Pillar were to somehow be invoked a hundred years in the future, or ten thousand years in the past, it would, without fail, open to the same world every time. The reason the Holy Pillar always opens under Norende is the same principle. It has to do with how the space is constructed." She shook her head. "It's hard to explain. Especially when you were just born knowing it."

"Then we'll just leave it at that." His current journal was still in its bag, as was the signed proposal from Yulyana. To that, he added the reconstructed journal of his time away from his home world, just recently completed. "They'll be emptying out the ship right now. Once I've finished this task, we can leave."

"What task is that?"

He didn't reply, but opened his bag for her, letting her dart inside. It was the task that would be the single hardest part of the identity he was choosing. Returning to the elevator, he rode to the top floor. Of course, Braev was there, as if he never left, reading over some sheets of paper. "Lord marshal... I've returned."

"I see that. What of your tasks?"

"Here is the signed proposal from Sage Yulyana," Ringabel said, laying it on the table. "He expressed the opinion that he believed it was unwise, but that he did not wish to interfere with your homeland."

Braev flipped through, examining the signatures. "That's about the best I will get out of him, I imagine. Norende?"

"I did a survey and found no trace of the Great Chasm. Furthermore, I don't believe we have any future threat of another one appearing. Here is my report on that," he handed over more pages. "And here is my report on the Harena facility. Overall, my impressions were very good. Their continued production will be a benefit to Eternia as well as worldwide."

"I see. Well done, Alternis. I won't need you again tonight, so go rest."

He stayed where he was, trying to find the words. "Lord marshal... I'm going to leave Eternia."

Braev's gaze focused on him sharply, but did not pass judgment as he waited for Ringabel to continue. "Your daughter in another world... the Edea of another world... is in trouble and needs my help. This is something only I can do. I have to go to her. But... in all likelihood, I will never be able to return here. I wanted... to say goodbye to you."

Braev turned to face him fully, meeting his eyes. "You are not a child any longer, Alternis. You should follow what you think is right. We will keep Eternia and this world safe."

"If the sage is able to do what I've asked of him... Alternis, the person that I was, will be returned to Eternia. Things will be as they were. But he won't be _me._ " He could feel his throat catch, his eyes sting, but he bit it back, pushing forward the words he needed to say instead. "You knew... You understood that I'm not that person I was seven months ago. You've always understood who I am. So I wanted you to keep this." He pulled out the reconstructed journal, holding it out with both hands. The small book that he had created as a lifeline to bridge his two identities. He wouldn't need it where he was going. There would only be one. "This... was my journey. I would be honored if you would keep it safe."

"Then I'll accept," Braev said, taking it from Ringabel's hands. "Go forth, with my blessing. But should you ever have need of it, you will always have a place at my side, my son."

The two simple words were ones he had heard from those in other worlds. They were words that he had known were there even if they had never been spoken. But hearing them shattered his last bit of restraint, the tears flowing freely down his cheeks. "Thank you for everything, Father," he rasped out, bowing his head. "Since the moment we met, you have given me everything, and it was everything that I ever needed. I owe you a debt that I could never repay."

Braev's hands came to rest on his shoulders. "You already have, Alternis. You don't owe me anything. Go with your head held high."

He stepped back, and called his helmet to his fingertips, replacing it so his armor was complete. Giving Braev a sharp salute, he said, "I, Alternis Dim, dark night of Eternia and member of the Council of Six, will now embark on my final mission, lord marshal."

Braev returned the salute. "Take care of yourself."

Ringabel made as long as it took the elevator doors to close before he took his helmet off again, unable to hold his tears in check. "Master?" Airy asked, flying up to his shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"I will be," he said, his voice soft. "Let's go, Airy. To the next world."


	5. Placement: Part 1

He knew this sky, this scent of grass and glimpses of green in his peripheral vision. But this time, he remembered who he was and why he had come here. And that made it completely different. "Master!" Airy flew into his vision, peering down at him with concern. "How do you feel?"

"Like I fell down a Grandship-sized flight of stairs and hit every one on the way down," he groaned, sitting up. "But I'll be all right. Yourself?"

"About the same," she admitted, sitting on his shoulder. Puffing up, she added, "But I protected you! That tried to eat you." She pointed at the culprit, a wayward sheep.

He let out a chuckle, giving her a little pat. "Here, you go ahead and take a nap. I'll take it from here."

"But you're-"

"I can handle the sheep now that I'm awake. Promise. Get some rest." He opened the bag, letting her in, then began making his way down into the valley. Walking actually helped with some of the aches and pains, letting his muscles work out their issues. The houses weren't the same, he noticed, put in different places and made in different sizes. This meant he had made it to a different world. _The correct world... right?_ The sheep, at least, were the same, paying him no mind. He was nearly down into the houses themselves when he finally spotted a familiar face. He was a little taller in this world, a little thinner, but still carried himself with shoulders squared. "Egil!"

The boy turned at the sound of his name, eyes going wide. "Uncle Ringabel?" he gasped out.

"Hey, what's with this 'uncle' stuff? I'm only twenty-five."

"Uncle Ringabel!" Egil ran to him, and Ringabel knelt, letting the boy run into his arms. "Uncle Ringabel, it's you, you're really here! I've been working really hard! But big brother Tiz is... big brother Tiz..."

"Hey, don't you worry," Ringabel said, ruffling his hair. "I came to help Tiz and everyone else. Okay?"

Egil nodded, rubbing at his face. "I've been working really hard. Since big brother Tiz... everyone's really worked hard in Norende. I'm going to work even harder, too!"

"But don't forget to rely on the others helping you," Ringabel said. "I'm glad to see you're doing well." Holding on until Egil let go, Ringabel considered his next options. "Egil, do you know where Edea is?"

He frowned, considering the question. "Nuh-uh. But I bet Datz and Zatz do. They bring her around all the time in the Grandship."

"The Grandship?" Ringabel felt stunned at the name. "You mean they built something like the Grandship?"

"Nuh-uh, Uncle Ringabel. After they came back, they took it to Harena and rebuilt it. It took a long time but they made it all better and now it flies all around the world. Oh!" he smacked his fist against his palm, remembering. "Big sis Edea gave me some of her flares for the Grandship. If I set one of them off, they'll come running right away. Here, come give me a hand." He ran into the village, heedless of whether Ringabel was following, darting into a house. He emerged again just as Ringabel caught up, the flare in his arms. "We gotta launch it on the north end of town, though. Don't wanna scare the sheep!"

"Right." Ringabel helped Egil put the flare's stand into the ground, angling it properly and then lighting the fuse. It shot into the air in a perfect arc, leaving a trail of smoke. "Purple?" he wondered.

"That's big sis Edea's color," Egil said, "for her flares. She wanted something that would stand out. Well, it probably won't take them long to get here. Want something to eat or drink?"

"Actually, that sounds like a pretty good idea." He did feel somewhat dehydrated-maybe that was the cause of some of his aches. "Some water would be great."

He had time for some water, a bit of bread, and lots of Egil's chattering about the village and Caldisla before the curve of the massive airship became visible in the southern sky. Egil waved cheerily as the ship slowed above their heads. With a hiss of escaping air, a hatch opened from near the bottom of the hull, and a platform lowered to the ground. "Hey, Zatz!" Egil shouted, waving.

Zatz hopped off the platform, ruffling Egil's hair. "Hey, kid. You sent for us?"

"Actually, that was me."

Zatz looked up, and his eyes widened as he saw Ringabel. "Holy cannoli! Ringabel? How did you-"

"Tell you some other time." Zatz gave him a hearty thump on the back which he returned. "Mind if I catch a ride?"

"For you, anytime." Zatz hopped back on the platform. "Step on up."

Ringabel nodded, then turned to Egil, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You take it easy, Egil. Don't you worry about a thing. I'll come back to visit, and next time I'll bring Tiz with me, too."

"You promise?"

"Cross my heart." Ringabel stepped back, hopping onto the platform with Zatz. "Just so you know," he said as it began to rise, "this particular part is sort of insane. But it's a great addition."

"Isn't it though?" Zatz grinned. "Just wait until you see the inside. The engine's all the original, but we replaced every bit of broken board everywhere. She's like a brand new ship."

Ringabel shook his head. "After seeing its condition after that last Holy Pillar, I wouldn't have thought it possible. You guys are amazing."

"We just helped put a few nails in places. Lady Edea's the one to thank," Zatz said. "She's the one that sponsored the rebuild. Even talked the old hermit in Yulyana to help us with getting wood. So where is it you're heading?" The hatch closed behind them, momentarily leaving them in the dark before the interior lights came on. "This way. We'll take the shortcut."

Ringabel followed him down the narrow hallway. "Where... is Edea right now?"

"Lady Edea? We took her to the Temple of Wind last. She was going to go visit the lady vestal. That was a couple of weeks ago, so I don't know if she's still there, but she usually calls us when she's got travel to do. The Grandship's fast enough that anywhere isn't out of the way."

"All right, then that's where I need to go."

Zatz grinned as he held the elevator door open for Ringabel. "Roger that. We'll set course as soon as we get up to the top. Which will be in about thirty seconds, by the way."

Now he recognized the elevator, the one that had initially lowered them down into the heart of the engine to start up the Grandship's airship functionality. "So how have you and Datz been?"

"Busy. Now that travel's a thing, the Grandship is packed with travelers and tourists. Before you know it, ship sailing will be a thing of the past," Zatz said. "Oi, Datz! You'll never guess who's with me!"

"A pretty girl?" Datz teased as he poked his head around. Spotting Ringabel, he took a step back in surprise. "Whoa! You're right, never would've guessed. Where the heck'd you come from, Ringabel? Sorry about the pretty girl thing, by the way."

"Norende," he replied with a grin of his own. Everything was just as he remembered it, right to the navigation books on the shelves. Without thinking about it, he walked over to the wheel, touching his hands to the weathered wood.

"Any time you want, it's yours to pilot," Datz said with a nod. "We've just been keeping it safe for you."

"Don't say that. You flew her just as much as I did. You earned your spot here." Ringabel turned back from the wheel and the view of the endless blue sky. "I might take you up on that some other time, though."

"We're heading to the Temple of Wind, on the double," Zatz told Datz. "If you want to get 'er started, I'll show Ringabel around."

"I'm on it."

"C'mon," Zatz waved Ringabel to the door. "Come take a look at the new and improved Grandship."

Ringabel followed him out, blinking in the bright sunlight. A lot of the wood, especially the detailing, was still the original ancient pieces, but the floor itself and the occasional building had been made completely anew, looking like the luxury pieces they had originally been designed to be. Even the new pieces, though, had been clearly designed to match the Grandship's original style. "She's seaworthy now," Zatz added as he led the way down the stairs. "though we just use the Eschalot if we need a sea voyage. We offered it back to Lady Edea in case she wanted to make it a new airship, but she said Grandship is all she needs."

"Of course. We spent so much time here." Ringabel looked around. Equally noticeable to the new wood was the presence of new people, as well-not just shopkeeps and staff, but families and tourists as well. "You're doing good business?"

"Yep. The proprietoress manages our books. It's a flat fee per trip, which covers a lot of our costs." Zatz stopped by the faded sign of the Drunken Boar, gesturing inside. "And here, fine sir, we have the finest restaurant establishment aboard the Grandship, with upscale-"

"Go help Datz pilot," Ringabel laughed, giving him a light shove. "I'll hang out here for a while. Come get me when we're close to the Temple of Wind." With that, he stepped inside.

The familiar, nostalgic smells of excellent food still hung in the air, coupled with a sense of peace and calm. "I heard this was the finest restaurant on this ship, and it still can't attract a crowd?"

"It's not time for dinner yet." The proprietoress looked up from the glass she was cleaning. "But I suppose I can make an exception for you. Have a seat, honey, and tell me what you want."

"Anything. No, my regular." He wanted the taste of familiarity almost as much as he wanted the food itself.

"Of course. Let me just get you some coffee first." She poured out a fresh set of beans, rinsing out the pot. "You're a sight for sore eyes."

"So are you." After a moment of enjoying the coffee bean smell, he reached to his bag, opening it up. If there was anyone that wouldn't mind Airy, it was her. "It's been the best homecoming I've ever had, and I haven't even seen Edea or Agnes yet."

"You silly fool," she said, pulling out a cup and a small shot glass. "Did you expect that you _hadn't_ been missed?"

"...not this widely, I guess. I didn't think I had such an impact on so many people during my short time here. It makes me wonder what other opportunities I missed throughout my lifetime."

"There's no point in spending time on regrets, especially at your age," she told him, pouring two cups of coffee, placing them in front of him and Airy. "Young folk should live their life forward."

"Yes." He held onto the cup of coffee, letting it warm his hands. "I'll do that."

* * *

Although still as silent and commanding as it had been the last time he had seen it, this time the Temple of the Wind had signs of habitation about it, with a few people visible in its windows. A pair of women in simple robes stood guard at the entrance, lowering their spears as he approached. "State your name and business, please."

Somehow, he didn't think the name 'Ringabel' was going to get him far. He decided to try a lie. "I'm Alternis Dim, dark knight of Eternia. I need an audience with Edea Lee, if you would."

The women glanced between themselves. This was going to fall apart real fast if Alternis was already here for some reason, he thought, feeling himself begin to sweat in the afternoon sun. With a sigh, he called forth his armor and helmet, donning the gear in front of the two guards. "Again, I am Alternis Dim. Now may I pass?"

The two looked at each other again, but seemed to reluctantly agree, and raised their spears. "Please guide Mr. Dim to the Lady Edea's room," one of them called to a younger girl as Ringabel dissolved his armor.

She gave him a bow, then took him by the hand without a word, leading him upstairs. Without trying to appear too curious, Ringabel glanced around as he was led. Repairs to the monster-damaged halls had obviously been started, but it looked as if progress was slow. Leading him to an upper floor, the girl paused outside a room, pointing at the door. Then with another bow, she was gone.

Edea was on the other side of that door. Ringabel felt his heart began to hammer as he pushed the door open a crack, peering inside, letting his armor dissolve.

She had her back to the door, standing at the window with hands resting on the sill. The red evening sun highlighted her frame, giving her a fiery appearance that made her all the more beautiful. But he could see the tension in her shoulders, the weariness. She'd lost weight, he thought. His hand trembled as he reached for the door. Steadying himself, he pushed it open the rest of the way, stepping inside.

"Who's there?" Her voice was sharp, on edge, and her hand went for her sword as she turned. And then their eyes met, and hers widened, hand going to her mouth instead. "It can't be... Are you...?"

So many things he wanted to say all at once. It felt as if they were all colliding at once in his throat, making it impossible to speak. "I'm back," he managed to get out.

"Ringabel," she crossed the room in a quick few steps, throwing her arms around his neck. He put his arms around her in return, holding that firm yet fragile form to him as tightly as he could. "Ringabel, is it really you?"

"Yes, love. Yes, it's really me," he murmured, letting his face rest against her curls.

"I can't believe you're here." She was crying now, dampening his neck, and he knew his own were not long in coming. "If I'm dreaming, don't wake me up."

"If we are dreaming... let us dream together."

"I missed you," she sobbed. "I missed you so much. Don't ever leave me again, Ringabel."

"Never, my love. I will never let you go again."

She let go of his neck, bringing her hands to his face instead, fingers running along his scar. "Are you crying?"

"They're very manly tears."

He had never known, confessing moments before returning to his own world, whether she had reciprocated his feelings. He wasn't sure he would've had the courage to have known. She answered that now, tasting his lips with her own, closing her eyes as he returned the slight pressure. The firmness of their locked arms was a testament to their desperate need, the culmination of their loneliness and longing, but the tenderness in their embrace was pure joy.

The sun had sunk below the mountains' edge when they finally let go, Edea resting her head on his shoulder. "You couldn't have come at a better time," she murmured, closing her eyes. "How did you get back here?"

"It's a long story. The important thing is that I'm here now," he said, running his fingers through her hair. "I came as soon as I heard you were in trouble."

"My hero," she said with a soft chuckle before sobering up again. "I'm not the one that's in trouble the most, though. Agnes and Tiz-"

"I heard. Where is Agnes?"

Edea separated from him, going to a curtain blocking off half the room. "I've been trying to stay with her round the clock. Who told you about her?" she said as she pulled it back partway

"The sage. He said she kept relapsing."

She pressed her lips in a thin line. "Not because she's been ill, though. I think this is poison."

He went over to her, touching a hand to her forehead. Agnes's color was too pale for a resident of Harena, but she didn't seem to have a fever. "Who? And why?"

"I don't know, but I have a few guesses. Anticrystalism is still prevalent both in Eternia and Harena. And even among the Crystalists, there are those who don't like Agnes's position as the one and only vestal, and the only one with control over the crystals. She's been promoting a return of the old faith, untouched by the Orthodoxy's corruption. My best guess is that someone in this temple is ascribing to one of those positions. But I don't know who or which."

Ringabel nodded. "And what about Tiz? Where is he?"

"He's in Eternia. Our head white magic researcher has been taking care of him, but he still hasn't woken up."

"Let's take Agnes back to Eternia," Ringabel said. "We can get her better help there, and it'll do her good to to be in the same place as Tiz, I think. And it'll let us focus on both of them."

Edea chewed on her lip. "Okay. I'd been thinking about it, but..."

"But?"

"I've been trying to keep it as quiet as I can about Agnes," she said. "I was hoping that doing so would force someone to show their hand. But if you think it's a good idea, that's enough to convince me."

On the bed, Agnes shifted positions, opening her eyes. "Ringabel...?"

"Hey, you're awake," he said, kneeling next to the bed. Edea came to stand next to his shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"I am sorry to be such a burden," she said, closing her eyes. "Welcome back, Ringabel."

* * *

The Grandship hadn't just been renovated on the outside, but on the inside as well, as evidenced by the temporary and permanent housing. Zatz had set them up in a little suite with two bedrooms, the decorations of which matched the ancient luxury to be found elsewhere. He wasn't the kind to be that drawn to luxury and richness, but he had to admit it was nice. There was even a window, which he opened for some fresh air. "It's getting cold again," Airy observed from her position on top of his bag, set on the little nightstand. "I wish Eternia was warmer."

"I guess you get used to it if you've lived there," Ringabel said, shutting the window again. "Though I was always in armor, so I never noticed the cold that much to begin with."

"Still, I'm so glad for you, Master," she said, swinging her legs. "Getting to see all the people from your writings again. Are you going to put that in your journal tonight?"

"I have a lot to write about tonight, don't I?" He touched a finger to her head, giving her a light pat. "And I have you to thank for that, even though I'm not sure how you pulled it off."

"It was just math," Airy murmured, but her face was undeniably pleased with the praise.

"You should be okay to stay in here," Ringabel continued, checking over his clothing in the mirror. "We won't be in Eternia til tomorrow, so you should be able to-"

The door to the bedroom swung open abruptly, Edea stepping inside. "Ringabel, are you-" She stopped short, her posture going stiff as she saw Airy sitting on the nightstand. "Watch out!" she shouted, her voice taking on a hard edge as she drew her sword, aiming for Airy.

The fairy let out a yelp, diving for the space behind Ringabel. "Wait, whoa, hold on," he said, catching her wrist as she tried to go around him. "It's okay, don't be alarmed."

"Airy is here!" Edea shouted, struggling against his grip. "I've got to get her!"

"No, no, calm down. Just listen to me for a minute, Edea."

She looked up at him, eyes confused. Betrayed. "What are you doing? Why are you _defending_ her?"

"I wouldn't _be_ here at all without her," he said, giving her a little shake. "Now will you calm down and _listen_ to me?" Without waiting for a response, he pushed her back out into the living room, shutting the door behind him.

She sat down in a chair, all the energy drained from her. "What are you doing, Ringabel? That's _Airy_."

"Are you going to listen if I answer? Or are you just going to think I don't know what I'm doing? That I'm a stranger whose thoughts you can't even fathom?"

"I didn't say any of that." She looked up at him. "Why are you angry at me?"

It wasn't the words that stopped him as much as it was the look, the same weariness she'd had at the Temple of Wind. He was hurting her, just like the rest of the world had been. "I'm sorry, love," he murmured, sitting down opposite her. "I'm scared, too." Scared of a second world rejecting him. "But I'm calm now. I'll explain. That Airy has never met you before, Edea."

She opened her mouth, then stopped. "Okay, I'll listen until you're finished."

"To save the Edea of my world, I had to go back in time," he said, "before Airy killed them. But beating her in my world didn't negate everything that happened to all of us. My theory is that going back in time caused a time loop that created another Airy. That's the one here."

She nodded slightly, closing her eyes. "All right."

"I told her about Ouroboros, and what happened to the Airy in the Infernal Realm," Ringabel continued. "She took it very hard, as I guess would have been expected. She sort of... just hung around, having nowhere else to go. No one else in the world who even knew her, let alone tolerated her. Even though she tried to kill the Edea of my world-did kill her once-I couldn't bring myself to kill her. And over time... I guess we became friends. She understood that I was just as alone in my world as she was."

"Ringabel..."

"When I heard you were in trouble... Sage Yulyana said it was impossible to get to this world. But Airy said she might know a way. So I decided to trust her, and here I am. Edea... You had the same history with the other Airy that I did. I don't expect that you'll trust this Airy right away. Maybe you won't ever trust her. So I want you trust me to be able to handle her. All right, Edea? Can you do that?"

"I do trust you, Ringabel. I trust you with my life." She let out a sigh. "I'm sorry. I guess I overreacted. I'm so tired I'm not thinking straight."

"Of course," he realized. "You haven't been able to sleep from taking care of Agnes, right? What an idiot I am." He stepped forward, scooping her up in his arms. "No more of that for my Edea. You're going to get a good night's rest so that you're fresh and presentable to your father and your country in the morning."

She let out an undignified squeak, clinging to his neck. "Ringabel put me dooown."

He pushed open the door to the other bedroom, depositing her on the near bed. Agnes was already on the far bed, resting peacefully. "Rest, or I'll put you to sleep myself," Ringabel said, brushing a hand across her forehead before he turned to check on Agnes.

"Can I at least take off my armor?" she grumbled.

"I won't look." He put one hand on Agnes's forehead, the other on her shoulder. "I wish I'd spent more time training white magic while we were traveling."

"You were pretty good at it."

"It's never enough, though." He pushed magic into her body, seeking to purify any poisons that might be there and heal their damage. He wasn't an expert, but he had to agree with Edea's assessment-there was something else wrong here, something deliberate.

"I know the feeling. There are so many things I want to master, to make up for those who are no longer here."

"Don't worry about filling in for the people that are no longer with us. You'll only drive yourself crazy."

"I know. I want to study what they learned, though. It's my way of respecting their memories."

Ringabel removed his hands, keeping his back to Edea. "You really grew up in the time we spent together, you know."

"Trying to flatter me, now?"

"It's one of the things I love about you. The maturity of an adult woman is a beautiful thing."

"You really are trying to flatter me, you suck-up," but her tone was light. "You can turn around now."

Edea was already under the covers, so carefully tucked in that he couldn't tell if she'd actually taken the armor off or not. "You get some sleep. I mean it now," Ringabel said. "Do you want me to guard your door?"

"You don't have to do that."

"It's not a problem. I sleep light. I'll be right here if you need anything." He gave her a light kiss on the forehead. "Sleep well."


	6. Placement: Part 2

The airship dock at the Central Command he knew would have never been able to handle a ship the size of the Grandship, but it looked as if this Central Command had modified its dock to handle the Grandship with ease. "Was that your idea?" Ringabel asked Edea as Datz settled the ship in.

"Well, I am part owner, you know," she said, a twinkle in her eye. "I need to be able to bring my ship home."

"I'm glad you didn't give up on it." Ringabel turned his head as Agnes approached, her footsteps unsteady. "Agnes, you should be resting. I'll give you a lift to where we're going."

"Unacceptable. I'll not meet the lord marshal of Eternia from your back, Ringabel."

"All the women in my life are so stubborn," he said with a smile. "At least lean on my arm until we get there, okay?"

"You're just as stubborn, Ringabel. Don't try and say you're not." Edea led the way off the ship, into the tower.

It was all so familiar, the structure just the same as it had been in his world. The difference was the atmosphere itself, the cheerful cooperation that sounded in the bits of conversation he heard, in the helping hands guiding each other just as he was doing for Agnes. "Has your Council of Six changed?" Ringabel asked as they boarded an elevator.

"Father, the Sage, Lord Derosso, Alternis," she counted off on her fingers. "Then there's me and someone you haven't met yet. I'll introduce you."

"You're part of the Council now? Congratulations. You're a good pick for Eternia."

"Well, if I'm going to be on the World Council, I'd better be a somebody in Eternia," she said, waving a hand. "Father and Alternis handle a lot of the work. I mostly just run all over the world and convince Father to spend lots of money on airships."

"Isn't that what daughters are supposed to do?" he laughed, but even as he said it, his mind was elsewhere. In this world, he wasn't Alternis, but Ringabel, and he could accept that. He wasn't sure what to think about actually getting to meet another version of himself. Would they be similar, or would he, too, think Ringabel was too alien to identify with? The brief time they had fought, Ringabel hadn't known who he was, hadn't even known they shared the same face. Now he knew everything.

The door slid open, and Edea led the way, pushing the doors to the Council of Six's chamber open. "Father, I've returned home."

Braev sat in his usual chair in the Council, as alike as if Ringabel had never left his world. He held the same power, the same fierceness. The thought brought a lump to his throat, but he forced it down. _You made the decision to be Ringabel. This isn't the man with whom you shared a history._ Next to him, Alternis sat in full armor and helmet, just as focused on his own papers. Ringabel could imagine the expression hidden by Alternis's helmet. Now that thought almost made him smile.

"Welcome back," he greeted. "And welcome back to Eternia, wind vestal. I hope you find our lands hospitable."

"I thank you for allowing me to visit on such short notice," Agnes said, giving him a bow, showing no outward sign of her current frailty. "As your daughter has come to my home, I too wished to see hers."

"Stay as you wish." His eyes drifted over to Ringabel.

He was sure Braev knew who he was, or at least knew who he was one of. "I am Ringabel, lord marshal," he said with a bow. "I have come to assist your daughter and the wind vestal."

When he looked up, Alternis's helmeted head was turned toward him. What did he think, he wondered. Surely he must have noticed the similarities in their faces and voices, must have remembered their battle. "Agnes is feeling a bit under the weather from the long trip, so I wanted to have Lilia take a look at her," Edea continued. "I'll write up my full report later and give it to you."

"Very well, then. You're dismissed."

Ringabel waited until they were in the elevator again to offer his arm to Agnes, who gratefully accepted, leaning heavily on him. "Do you always report in to him whenever you've returned?"

"Yes, and to Mother too, when I get a chance to get down to the city."

"That's great. I bet he really appreciates that. How is Lady Mahzer doing?"

"She's been well as of late. She's even come up here to visit a few times. Our head of white magic research has treated her a few times with great success. What about your Mahzer and ...my father? Are they doing well?"

"No, Mahzer's health had been bad the last several months. She hasn't been able to leave the Central Healing Tower. Braev is doing well enough, but I wish the Edea of that world could support him more. She doesn't have the benefit of your journey. Her father is still a wall to her."

"I can understand that." Edea rocked on her heels. "I'm sorry to have dragged you from your world, Ringabel. It must have been rough to leave your family behind."

"You two are my family," he said, touching his free hand to her shoulder. "You two and Tiz. That was the decision I made when I decided to stop being Alternis and to be Ringabel instead."

"I'm still sorry that I made you choose."

"It was inevitable. Hovering between a person I used to be and the person I am now, I had to choose. I couldn't be both anymore. Either I had to go back to that person I was and fit back into that mold I had made for myself there... or I had to come here."

She leaned on his other shoulder, brushing her lips against his cheek. "I'm still sorry. You've given so much to your world, my world, and all the worlds. You deserve more happiness."

"I have all the happiness I need right here," he said, fingers touching her cheek.

When the elevator opened at last, Ringabel thought that they'd descended enough to be on the ground floor or close to it. Edea led the way off to a side wing, a place he recognized as soon as he caught the acrid smell of medicine. "Victor's lab?" he murmured to her.

"It's not his lab. He isn't here anymore." Raising her voice, Edea called, "Lilia? Are you in?"

"Edea?" came a girl's voice from somewhere in the lab. "Oh, hold on, I'm coming!" The sound of something clattering to the floor. "Bugger." A few moments later, a girl in a white lab coat rounded the corner, adjusting her glasses as she peered at the group. "Oh, you brought company!"

"Ringabel, Agnes, this is Lilia V. Court," Edea introduced. "She's the last member of the Council of Six and our head researcher of white magic. Lilia, these are my good friends, Ringabel, and Agnes Oblige, the wind vestal."

"A pleasure," she said, dipping her head in a bow.

Lilia... Ringabel could think of where that name might've come from, during their time in another world, observing a rare meeting between Victor and DeRosso. Had similar events occurred in this world prior to Victor's death? Although she had dark hair like DeRosso and Victoria, hers tied up with a few loose strands falling in her face, and she looked Eternian enough, he couldn't pinpoint anything in her appearance that would tie her to Victor, Victoria, or DeRosso. "I had a couple of things I wanted your help with, Lilia," Edea said to her.

"Of course. We're friends, aren't we?" She gave them a bright smile, one that he had a hard time reconciling with any remote connection to any of the three. "What's on your mind?"

"Agnes has been feeling a bit ill," Edea said. "Could you check her over?"

"Ah, as a favor, right? Hush-hush. Come on in to the back," Lilia said, leading them around some of the machinery to some side rooms with some cots. "Down, please. Don't mind the mess, by the way. I wasn't really expecting company. And I'd get you something to drink, but I'll have my hands full, and the cats aren't inclined to fetch." Agnes sat down on the cot gratefully, letting the doctor push her into a horizontal position.

Ringabel hovered in the door, taking advantage of Lilia's occupied status to look around. He'd seen this place back in his own world, when Victor had aided him after Qada's treachery. Even though Victor's treatments had merely been rough instead of outright torturous, it still made his skin crawl to remember being inside one of those machines, with nothing but the sound of that healing gel in one's ears. "You're a bit weak physically, yeah," Lilia said, "but nothing I can't fix up. I'll keep you here for a few days and treat you, if you don't mind. Hopefully you learned not to mess with poison, huh?"

Edea snapped to attention. "Not that I'm surprised, but what makes you say that?"

"I'm sensing traces. I'd have to do a blood test to determine what, if you want."

"If you need to, please do so," Agnes said. "Do you think you can make some antidotes? I'd like a supply."

Lilia blinked. "I'm sure I could, but why? Are you planning on being poisoned again?"

"It is likely, yes."

"Agnes," Ringabel frowned. "That's enough. Why don't you take a break from the Temple of Wind for a while? Your safety is a bigger priority."

"I understand your point of view, but I am not going to run or hide, Ringabel. I have been thinking about this since I first fell ill, and I would rather be prepared to meet this poisoner head on. I will not be swayed by their attempts to do me harm. Let them come to me when I return to the temple."

"That sense of obstinacy is really stressful for your friends, you know," Ringabel sighed. "All right, I won't argue with your further for now."

Edea let out a sigh, some of the tensions releasing from her shoulders at last. "That's one thing. The other is that I wanted to see how Tiz was doing."

"Tiz? No change. Were you expecting some?"

"I'd like to see him, if you don't mind," Ringabel spoke up. "I'm hoping three heads will be better than two."

"Four." Agnes rose off the cot. "I would also like to see him."

Lilia shrugged. "Sure, it's not a problem. This way." She led the way deeper into the lab, where the healing vats were lined up. Stopping in front of one of them, she gestured with a hand. "This is him."

But for the vat and the liquid inside, Tiz looked the same as when they had parted ways. Now he looked to be resting peacefully, unmoving and eyes closed. "Did he have physical injuries?" Ringabel addressed to Lilia.

"No. But his breathing gets shallow and his pulse gets slow if I don't let the machines regulate it for him. His life force is very weak. It may as well be nonexistent for all the good it's doing him." Lilia crossed her arms. "This is pretty much how he was found, so I'm told."

"Yes, that's correct." Agnes reached a hand out to touch the glass enclosing Tiz in. "You haven't found any way to wake him up?"

"I've tried a few things to revitalize his life energy, but nothing's worked. I'm not quite willing to try black magic waves on him yet."

Ringabel felt movement at his hip as Airy emerged from his bag, flitting up to Tiz's face. "No!" Agnes shouted, her voice filled with horror and dread. "No, don't hurt him, please!"

Airy looked down in surprise. "That's not the same Airy," Ringabel told Agnes, reaching out to support her again. "Things are okay. Trust me."

She looked up at him, clinging to his arm, but didn't say anything else. She didn't look like she even had the strength to. "Master," Airy said, "Did I-did the other me, did she say anything about Tiz?"

"Say anything? Like what?"

"She said he was a miracle," Agnes spoke up. "And he was. Oh, Tiz..."

"Agnes, sit down," Ringabel ordered, gesturing for Edea to find a chair. "Making yourself worse isn't going to help him any."

"I know, but..."

"Master," Airy said, still hovering in front of the tank. "Was there anything else? I must have had a reason for saying that."

"No, she didn't really give Tiz any special attention. Even when she died, she-" He paused. "No, wait. She didn't say anything, but Ouroboros did. He said something about a celestial inside Tiz."

"That's right," Edea recalled. "I asked Tiz about that once, but he said he didn't know anything about it. I got the impression he didn't really want to talk about it."

"Now that makes sense," Airy said, looking back at the tank, sitting down in midair. "Yeah, I think that's what it is."

"Did you figure something out, Airy?" Ringabel asked her.

She didn't answer, drifting in front of Tiz's tank. "Hey, Master... What made you decide to tell me about what Ouroboros said, what he did to my other self?"

"Why are you asking about something like that now?" Edea said as she sat Agnes down.

"I thought you had the right to know," Ringabel answered. "Even if it caused you suffering."

She nodded, turning back to him. "I thought so. That's why I'll tell you. Master... This human is long dead."

"No," Agnes murmured, clinging to Edea's arm. "No, no."

"Hold on, let her finish," Ringabel said, touching Agnes's shoulder to reassure her. "What do you mean by 'long' dead, Airy?"

Airy took a breath, as if unsure how to continue. "Master, this... isn't a recent thing. This is a body that's been devoid of human life energy for quite a while. You said your journey with him was two years, right? He was most likely dead before you ever met him."

"But that's impossible," Edea said. "We all traveled together. He was there with us the entire time."

"I didn't say he was devoid of _all_ energy. If he was housing a celestial, that would've been sufficient life energy to 'live'."

Ringabel felt ill. "So what you're saying is that he _didn't_ survive the destruction of Norende."

Airy turned away from them again. "He often didn't, in my experience."

"How is it that you're able to tell?" Lilia asked, tilting her head. "I mean, what exactly are you, anyway?"

"I can tell. From... lots of experience."

Agnes shook her head, as if that would dispel the nightmare she'd found herself in. "No, that can't be. I don't want to give up on him like this."

"We're _not_ giving up," Ringabel said. "It sounds to me that if it was a celestial that helped him stay alive before, we just need to call that celestial and have him do it again. Isn't that right, Airy?"

She turned to him again, frowning. "In theory, that should work, but... how are you going to call a celestial?"

"We'll figure something out. It can't be impossible. Yulyana said that it takes far less effort to just talk across worlds than it does to pierce through them. And he mentioned once that the summons themselves are from the celestial plane. It can't be that hard, right?"

"They are, but... there's a difference in magnitude. The summons are to a celestial like what a cart or a dog would be to you, Master," Airy said.

"Still, it's a place to start. Do you have an ideas on how we might summon a celestial, Airy?"

"I don't really know anything... Sorry."

He'd heard those words before, whenever they'd found themselves in a new world. When Airy had been perpetuating her agenda against them all. "Is... that really all you know, Airy? Truly?"

She looked at him, then nodded. "I understand, Master. I must be able to think of something. I have a hundred thousand years' worth of memories, after all. I won't stop until I've found everything I know." She flew to the top of the vat, nestling herself among the equipment. "Don't let anyone disturb me. I'm going to be at this for a while."

"Ringabel," Edea said. "Are you sure you want to leave her down here with Tiz?"

"I'll stay here as well," Ringabel said, "and keep an eye on things. I'll just need a chair out here. I'll also send someone out to Lord DeRosso to see if his library has anything about celestials. I'll do some research on my own while I wait. And I'll help Lilia out with Agnes, too. So don't you worry about anything, Edea. I'll handle this. You go see your mother."

Edea still looked doubtful. "Your wind vestal's in good hands!" Lilia reassured her. "And I'll run some tests and see if I can't confirm what your little flying thingie said. We'll figure this out, right?"

She let out a sigh, but acquiesced at last. "Told you you were stubborn, Ringabel. I'll be back soon."

Ringabel walked over to her, taking her hands and giving them a squeeze. "Have a nice long visit with your mother," he told her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Take your time and don't worry about a thing here."

Reluctant, she left, and Ringabel turned to his other stubborn woman. "And you, my dear, need your rest. Back to your bed you go."

Agnes, to his relief, didn't offer any protest, and he escorted her back to her little cot, making sure she was laying down. Once outside, it was just him and Lilia, a face he didn't know yet. "So you're the boyfriend, right?" Lilia asked as she returned to some work at one of the consoles.

"Did Edea say that?" He smiled at the thought.

"Not in so many words, but I can see the way she talks about you. She always carries that old tattered journal around with her."

"I'm glad. So how do you and Edea know each other? Have you been friends long?"

"We only met after she returned from saving the world, after Victor-papa's death. She'd come down here and keep me company by telling me stories of you guys. It was so great. I was always kept secret, so I never got to meet other people besides Victor-papa and Victoria."

"I'm sorry... about them."

"You ended Victor-papa's long suffering. That might have been for the best." She grabbed for a clipboard, making herself some notes in a hasty, flourished scrawl. "Okay, I'm going to drawn some blood from Mr. Tiz and do some tests. If bucket head shows up, I'm not here."

"Bucket head? Do you mean Alternis?"

"Yes, him. He always comes around to deliver Braev's stuff. I don't like him," she said with a pout.

"I'll handle him for you," Ringabel offered. "Do you have a place I can make a fire to boil some water?"

"Have a burner, they're all over the place." She waved a hand. "Take what you need."

He smiled. "Let me just get some beans, and I'll make you the best coffee you've ever tasted."


	7. Placement: Part 3

Ringabel didn't realize how busy Edea was until he realized it was mid-afternoon and he hadn't seen her since a quick breakfast that morning. Lilia, too, was kept busy with things he only had a limited understanding of, so he busied himself with monitoring Tiz and Agnes. The latter's color had improved since coming to Eternia, and although she still slept a lot, her waking periods saw her closer to being at one hundred percent.

During one of her naps, Ringabel began boiling water for more coffee, pausing as he heard booted feet outside the lab. "Lilia?" Alternis's voice.

"She's not here right now," Ringabel called, remembering Lilia's instructions, "but come on in."

A pause, and then the door opened, the fully armored figure stepping inside. Ringabel had never really taken a close look at his armor from the outside, so this was something new. Alternis paused, unsure of how to regard Ringabel. "It's for her eyes only."

"Well, you can wait for her if you'd like. I'll make you a cup of coffee." Ringabel checked the temperature of the water, deciding to give it just a bit longer.

"No, it's fine-"

"Please, I insist." Ringabel pulled another chair to the table he'd set up before returning to the kettle. "I wanted to talk to you, anyway."

"Why?"

"Take a guess."

Alternis stayed silent, but finally took a seat at the table. _Victory_. Ringabel carried two cups over to the table, taking the other chair. "Just the way you like it."

The helmeted head revealed nothing, but Ringabel could tell by his posture that he was suspicious. _I guess that's how the lord marshal always knew what I was thinking, even when I found it hard to speak._ Alternis flipped up the small plate at the bottom of his helmet, revealing his mouth so he could drink. "Who are you?" he asked, bringing Ringabel out of his thoughts.

"Hm… Kind of like a big brother, maybe?"

"I don't _have_ brothers." Alternis's voice was sharp. "If you're claiming a blood relation to me, you'd better have a good explanation."

Way to start the conversation, by poking at a sore spot, Ringabel chided himself. "Sorry. That was in poor taste. Have you… talked with Edea about her journey? Or did the lord marshal explain the Holy Pillar to you?"

"It wasn't any of my business."

"… You know, you can ask them about things sometimes. They're your family; they're not going to bite your head off." Letting out a sigh, he sat back with his cup of coffee. "To keep the explanation simple, the Great Chasm and Holy Pillar both were links to other worlds. Parallel Luxendarcs, very similar to this one. I think you can see where this is going."

"You're from one of those other worlds?"

Was he being obtuse or just reluctant? "I'm not just 'from one of those worlds'. In my world, I was known as Alternis Dim, the dark knight of Eternia."

The cup hit the table with force. "That's _impossible_."

"Which part? The fact that there's parallel worlds to this one? Or that there are many, many versions of you and I on these other worlds, often sharing the same painful history?"

"All of it!"

Ringabel looked at Alternis, and tried to place his mind behind that mask again. When he thought of the person he used to be, the prospect of so many others like him wasn't comforting, it was frightening. A shared history didn't give understanding; it only highlighted the futility and lack of value in his struggling. This was the person he had been: serious, steadfast, but fragile, held back from the precipice by a family he barely knew how to reach out to. "They're all worlds that started out from the same seed. They're similar. But they're not the same. Even if you and I walked similar paths, yours belongs to you alone."

"What did you come here for?" The anger was gone, but the fear remained.

"Do you think I came here to replace you?" Ringabel shook his head. "There's only one person I will ever allow to call me 'Alternis' again. And he isn't anywhere in this world."

"The lord marshal." A statement, not a question. He knew.

Ringabel managed a nod. "He's the only one who always knew who I was. The one with whom I shared a history." He took in a breath. "Alternis… You're a good person."

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"Maybe no one's told you, because they think you already know. So I'll tell you, because I think you need to hear those words." _Because at one point, I needed to hear those words._ "You're a good person, Alternis. Sometimes people who don't get to know you misunderstand you, but that's okay. To the people that know you, you are irreplaceable."

Alternis didn't reply, his body language pulled down in thought. "Ringabel!" Lilia's voice came from the back. "Ringabel, have you seen the wave converter I was working on this morning? I need to replace a-" She rounded the corner, stopping short as she saw Alternis. Her expression immediately shifted, her eyes narrowing. "Oh, it's you. Braev sent something for me?"

"I brought the reports the _lord marshal_ ," he emphasized the title, "wants you to review."

"Tell _Braev_ I'll get to it."

Ringabel put a hand to his head. "Hey, cut that out, Lilia. You're being rude to the lord marshal and Alternis both. There's no need to antagonize him."

"I don't see why I need to be nice to a faceless suit of armor."

Anger flared white-hot in his gut. He couldn't count the number of times he'd been dismissed in the same way. Ironically, it was the presence of Alternis - the only other one that would sense the darkness he'd almost let go-that allowed him to rein it in. "If his helmet really bothers you that much, why don't you just ask him politely to take it off?"

"Like he would."

"How would you know? You've never asked, I bet."

"Something that easy, he would have done it already," she huffed, folding her arms.

"It is easy," he agreed, "and for some, it's the hardest thing in the world. Not everyone has the same experience with the world that you do, Lilia. I could just as soon assume that you're being childish for not being able to overlook such a simple thing."

She pressed her lips together, unable to come up with a response for that. Behind him, Ringabel heard a 'click', and he turned as Alternis took off the helmet, his expression matching hers. "There. Are you happy now?"

She relented, looking embarrassed. "Sorry. I didn't realize you two were cousins."

"Cousins?" Ringabel echoed.

"You're not?" She furrowed her brow. "There's some family resemblance."

Ringabel looked over at Alternis, whose face was similar enough that they could have been twins, were they the same age. "I figured you'd have called us brothers."

"You're not _that_ alike."

As fast as it had come, the rest of his anger was gone, and Ringabel laughed. "No, we're really not, I suppose."

She tilted her head, but then shrugged. Walking over to the table, she picked up the papers, then studied Alternis's face, hers barely inches away. Color rose to his face, and he averted his eyes. "...What?"

"Huh," she mused, more to herself than to him. "You have a surprisingly honest face. Well, I'll look over this," she gestured to the papers, "but I gotta go find that wave converter first. I think I saw it over by the tank valve replacements..." She went back around the corner, papers tucked under one arm.

Alternis slowly sat the helmet down on the table. His hands trembled. "...It's off."

Ringabel smiled, and reached over, placing a hand on Alternis's head. "Yeah. It is. Good job."

* * *

"I'm going to be leaving for the World Council meeting in about an hour," Edea told Ringabel and Lilia. "How is Agnes faring?"

"I'd really rather not put her in a high-stress situation, at least not for another few days." Lilia shook her head. "Being kicked by poison when you're already down isn't easy, you know. She looks fine now, but she's still clearing junk out of her system. Leave her be."

"Have you asked Agnes about it?" Ringabel directed at Edea.

"No; if I told her, she'd insist on coming no matter what. She'll probably be mad at me when she figures out I've gone. But I can hold off the Council." She let out a sigh. "I don't suppose you'd like to come with me? It might be interesting for you to see."

"I'd like to, but Airy is still meditating. I don't think you want me leaving the three of them alone." He looked up as the door to the lab opened, Alternis stepping inside.

"No, you're probably right. Okay, I'm going to go see if the Grandship has docked yet," she said, touching his arm briefly. Turning, she then saw the dark knight in the doorway. "Oh! Hi, Alternis. Did Father send you?"

He shook his head. "No, this is a message for Ringabel."

"Oh?" She turned back to him, hands on her hips. "I hope this isn't from any lady friends."

"Ah, it's from Lord DeRosso," Alternis interjected quickly.

Ringabel snorted in amusement. "By that logic, shouldn't you be worried about the fact I spend my days with two of them?"

"If you made a move on my best friend or a little girl, I'd snap your neck." She gave him a little pat on the cheek, then turned, giving Alternis's helmet a light kiss in the same place. "All right, I'm on my way. Stay out of trouble!"

Alternis watched her go, touching a hand to his helmet. "W-what on earth was that about?"

"That woman is a horrible, horrible tease." Ringabel shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder what I got myself into."

Lilia pointed at Alternis's helmet. "Off."

Ringabel gave her a look. "Didn't Victor ever teach you the magic words of 'please' and 'thank you'?" Well, it was Victor, so probably not.

"Off, please and thank you," she repeated in the same imperious tone.

Alternis let out a short sigh, but set the letter down on the table before pulling his helmet off. "I don't see how you can even stand to be in that thing," Lilia complained.

"It's just another piece of clothing," Ringabel replied. "Why _can't_ you stand to be in one?"

"People are meant to have _faces_."

Ringabel let the subject drop, turning back to Alternis. "So what's this letter?"

Alternis shrugged slightly. "He sent it via the Grandship. It's addressed to you, so I haven't opened it."

Ringabel slid a finger under the seal, popping it open. Scanning the letter quickly, then again at a slower pace, he finally nodded. "He's going to look and see if he's got any books on the subject I requested. That's great. If anyone's got anything, it's probably him."

"I borrow books from him sometime too," Lilia added with a nod. "I hear he's got books that came out of the central vault of the old Orthodoxy, hundreds of years old. Like ones that describe the crystals and ancient monsters and even immortality. What did you ask him for, Ringabel?"

"Some books on celestials."

"Celestials?" Alternis echoed. "What are those?"

"Beings from another plane of existence. I need to find one to help my friend," Ringabel gestured toward the back.

Alternis followed the direction he pointed. "The... Norende man, right?" Ringabel nodded. "What will a being from another plane help with that?"

"It's kind of a complicated story, but if you're interested, I'll tell you later. Can I ask you a favor, Alternis, if you're not too busy?"

"Hm? What would that be?"

Lilia leaned in to listen, then whirled as she heard a crash from the back of the lab somewhere. "Locke! That's a bad kitty! BAD KITTY."

"She is a strange girl," Alternis observed.

"We're all strange here," Ringabel said, moving for the coffee maker. "Hey, Alternis... How do you feel about Edea?"

"How do I... Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"

"Just humor me."

Alternis crossed his arms, considering the question. "I was going to say she's kind of like a little sister. But since she came back from her journey, it's been more like _I'm_ the younger sibling."

"She left as a child and came back an adult," Ringabel said. "It must be disconcerting to those around her."

Alternis pressed his lips together, displeased. "Edea is Edea. So what if she's grown up a bit while she was gone? That's only to be expected. No matter how she grows up, I'll always protect her."

Ringabel looked at Alternis, and smiled. "That's really good to hear."

"What else would I say?" Alternis shook his head. "So why do you want to know? What's your relationship with Edea, anyway?"

"She's the woman I love," Ringabel answered. "The only one I'll ever love."

Alternis's cheeks turned red as he stared at Ringabel in surprise. "Y-you're in _love_ with Edea? Have you... have you told her? Are you two..."

"I've told her. And I've kissed her." Ringabel watched in amusement as Alternis's color grew redder. "That's why I asked. I was serious when I said I thought of you like a little brother, and I didn't want to hurt you."

"N-no, it's not... I mean... I had no idea." Alternis sat down, then regarded Ringabel with a more critical eye. "I'm not sure I approve of this. You haven't gotten the lord marshal's approval yet, have you?"

"No, I'm... not really sure how to approach him about it. I sort of have other priorities to worry about, too." Ringabel checked the temperature of the water. "Getting back to that favor I was going to ask... Are you going to be busy for a few days?"

"Nothing I'm doing is on a deadline. Why?"

"Would you consider going to the World Council meeting with Edea?" Ringabel asked. "In my place."

Alternis furrowed his brow. "Why don't you go?"

"I want to, but... I can't abandon my post here. Edea doesn't trust Airy, so she won't want me to leave her alone here. And I need to be here if anything happens to Agnes or Tiz. I really want nothing more than to go with her and hold her the entire time," he sighed. "She's had a hard time of things lately and I want to support her. That's all I've wanted to do since I got here, and I think it's been helping, but supporting Tiz and Agnes will help her, too. But I'd rather have "me" there with her than ask someone else."

"I think I see what you're asking," Alternis said slowly. "But she'd be able to tell us apart, wouldn't she?"

"Undoubtedly, but if you took off your armor and helmet, it might fool her for a while. We do have the same face, after all."

Alternis folded his arms. "I'm sure I could pass for you just fine, but if she asks me to... kiss her or something, my cover's blown."

He laughed. "Just tease her, she'll reply in kind and forget about making out. Or pretend you're checking out other girls."

"You would look at other women? Perhaps I've overestimated your moral character," Alternis replied, narrowing his eyes.

"Of course I wouldn't _now_ , but before, I was quite popular with the ladies. You could be too, you know," Ringabel said, offering Alternis a cup of coffee. "Girls love the shy types, and you've got quite the handsome face."

Instead of getting flustered further, Alternis took the cup, looking into it. "I've never really thought about love."

"I figured as much. You're only twenty three, right? You have plenty of time. You can take it in little steps," Ringabel said, sitting down at the table with Alternis. "Just open the door a little at a time. Start by making some good friends that you feel comfortable around without your armor."

Alternis let out a long sigh, taking a drink of the coffee. "I'll clear this with the lord marshal to make sure I can leave for a while. The Grandship won't leave for about an hour, so I should have time to get some things settled."

Ringabel nodded. "By the way, are you going to be okay with not wearing armor around Edea?"

"I've... never shown her my face before," Alternis said. "I was already shrouded in darkness when we met for the first time, when she was just a child. But if it's for her, I can do anything."

Ringabel nodded agreement. "I know you can. For those you care about, you can overcome anything. Even a painful past. Well, I'll hold the fort down," he added in a lighter tone. "I'll also send word to the lord marshal to let me help out with your tasks, should he need me and if it's something I can do here."


	8. Placement: Part 4

Ringabel's words were still on his mind as he stood on the deck of the Grandship, watching Caldisla approach in the distance. Although Alternis himself had overcome dark moments of his past, at least somewhat, he wondered what else Ringabel, the Alternis of another world, had experienced. Now that he thought of it, his world must have had an Edea and a lord marshal, too. So why had he left them behind?

Tourists and citizens walking by made him feel self-conscious, making him tug at his clothes for the umpteenth time. Not having armor over them felt unnatural, and not even having a sword at his side made him feel even more exposed. _This is for Edea_ , he reminded himself. Edea, who was in love with this Ringabel, who loved her back. Falling in love with someone was hard enough to fathom, let alone it being Edea and his odd counterpart. Just what had happened on that journey to both of them? _He said I could ask, right? That Edea is family, so she would listen to my questions._ Just saying she had come back changed wasn't enough. He wanted to know what she had experienced to bring her there.

"Ringabel!" It took Alternis a moment to react to the name, remembering that he was going by that name, at least for now. "Here you are. Admiring the view?" Edea paused next to him, smiling.

She didn't have the worry lines around her eyes she had been carrying, the tension in her posture. Ringabel had made the right call in asking Alternis to play as him, he thought. "I was just... thinking about things."

"You do that a lot lately. I guess that's the 'Alternis' side of you."

"Don't call me by that name." It wasn't just the thought of his temporary identity, but the recollection of Ringabel's face as he'd said the same. "I'm 'Ringabel' here."

"Sorry." She leaned her head on his shoulder. The sensation of warmth surprised him. Normally, heat and cold weren't transferred through his armor. Had he been wearing it, such a delicate sensation would have been lost. As long as this was as far as it went, Alternis thought that this would be okay. "It's a compliment, though. I like your serious side sometimes. What do you think about?"

He decided to answer honestly. "Things that people have said. Things they've told me. Things that make me realize that the world is far more vast than I ever realized."

"I guess finding out about the ten thousand worlds will do that to you. Doesn't it make you feel small, sometimes? There's been nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine other versions of me. I'm just one in ten thousand. It kind of makes you wonder how important one person really is."

"You're absolutely important," Alternis said instantly. "There may be ten thousand Edeas, but there is only one _you_. You're the only one. Besides, if one person didn't matter, how would you have saved the world?"

"Mm, I guess you're right. Though that applies to you, too." She let go of his arm, walking to the railing, leaning on it without any sign of fear. "You remember that world where the Sage tested us? Where the Edea and Alternis of that world had vanished, where the Father and Mother of that world embraced us with open arms?"

"Yes," he lied, hoping his ignorance wouldn't betray him. At the same time, he couldn't help but be curious at the story she had implied.

"I really thought about it. I mean, that was Father, saying all the things I always wanted to hear. That I was his daughter and he was proud of me. But... that Father wasn't _my_ Father. If it's not from him... it doesn't have any meaning."

"He absolutely is proud of you, Edea. How could anyone not think you are amazing?"

"Flatterer," she said, but her smile was bright. "I know. He doesn't have to say anything. The other Fathers I encountered weren't mine... But I think the feelings were the same."

"Edea... You really are amazing."

She laughed. "Tell me that when I survive this World Council meeting, not before." Below them, the ship was landing, making its port in Caldisla. "I suppose we'd better start making our way toward the hungry bears."

"Have they been causing you problems?" At least Ringabel wouldn't know the insides of this Council, so his ignorance could pass here. He hoped.

"No, it's just... They're all very good people. But they're _very_ sketchy of this idea of a Council, especially with it being Eternia's idea. I mean, we did basically go 'hey, we're going to undermine all of your governments', and when that didn't work, we came up with this Council idea."

"That's not your intention-"

"I know that, and I think they know that too, since they know me a little bit. But it's hard for them to take a leap of faith that I'm acting in everyone's best interests, not just Eternia's. And then there's the matter of the crystals. Agnes has been pushing for the temples to be independent entities, not bound to a government, with the crystals left to their own devices, but no one is really keen on that idea. Not that I can blame them for that, either. I mean, after they nearly went out of control and caused so many problems..."

Alternis nodded. The thing about wars was that they never really addressed what happened after they were over, he thought. "So what are you going to do?"

"Hopefully, convince them that Agnes caught a cold and that everything's fine." She patted his arm before making for the stairs, and he followed behind. After a moment, though, he realized that was wrong; Ringabel had always walked next to her, as far as he had seen, so he caught up to her, touching a hand to her shoulder after a brief pause. It was a simple, easy thing, and yet the very act of doing it made him feel like he'd sprung miles ahead, like he'd run through the entirety of the mountain range of Eternia without a break. But his legs somehow kept pace with hers, and his hand remained on her shoulder. _I can handle anything, for the people I care about,_ he reminded himself.

He'd been to Caldisla before, in the course of his work, most notably right around the time the Great Chasm had opened up, some two and a half years ago. Without even knowing it, he'd met two of the people that would go on to help Edea save the world. Had Ringabel done the same, in his own world? Other airships were hovering around the city as well, signalling the arrival of other representatives. "Why Caldisla?" Alternis found himself asking.

"They're the only kingdom without a crystal," Edea explained. "So they host the Council, instead. It's a fair balance of power."

"Was that your idea?"

"I'm not totally unmindful of politics and power plays, you know."

Alternis felt himself smile. Before them, the elevator to the ground opened up, and they stepped on it together, letting it lower them earthward. Still as storybook sleepy as the last time they had been here, but now, without having hostile actions in place against them, Alternis could look more at the scenery and less at the guards and weapons of the town. "Let's hurry," Edea said, taking Alternis's hand. "We don't want to be la-"

"Uncle Ringabel!" Alternis turned in surprise, almost reaching for the sword that wasn't there. A young boy of perhaps eight was bounding toward him, arms outstretched. Alternis crouched down to look at the boy further, and he responded by throwing his arms around his neck. "You're back already? That was fast! Hey... You promised you'd bring big brother Tiz next time you came!"

Uh-oh. Ringabel hadn't mentioned any boy in Caldisla that he knew. "You go on ahead, I'll catch up in a minute," he said, hoping Edea would be out of earshot while he tried to work this out.

"Don't take too long, or I'll go in without you," she warned. "I'll wait for you outside the palace gates."

After a moment to recall the location of the palace, he nodded, and she moved up the hill. "Did you come to see the inn? Grandpa Karl is teaching me how to cook right now. He said he'll show me how to balance his books when I get older. I don't get that," the boy prattled. "I can balance stuff perfectly fine-"

"Listen, uh," he didn't even know the boy's name. "Uh, just listen for a moment. Ringabel didn't break his promise to you. My name's Alternis."

The boy blinked in surprise. "Are you his twin brother or something? You look really alike."

"Something like that. He asked me to keep an eye on Edea, but she doesn't know. So this is just between us, okay?" Alternis felt himself sweat. How reliable were eight year old boys nowadays? His own past wasn't exactly a standard to judge normal kids by.

"Right, it's a secret, gotcha. Big brother Alternis, right?" The boy extended a hand. "I'm Egil, nice to meetcha. Did Uncle Ringabel tell you all about me?"

"He didn't, and I'll take him to task about that when I get back. But I've got to go to this meeting now, okay?"

"Gotcha. If you have time, come by and I'll show you around," Egil said. "If you're Ringabel's brother, you're my friend. You must be awesome."

"Uh, thanks." Alternis stood up, giving the boy a nod, then made for the palace, taking the shortcut up the nearby stairs.

As promised, Edea was waiting at the palace gates. "Did you guys have a nice talk? It's been a while, so you should catch up."

"I told him I would, after this. First things first." She nodded to the guards, who opened the gate for her.

In this case, he thought, decorum trumped presumed habit, and so he fell back behind Edea as she walked in, waving at someone inside. "I'm here, I'm here! Sorry if I'm late."

"You're right on time, Lady Edea," a guard greeted her, leading the way to a room off the main hallway of the palace. He'd been in to the throne room before, but the rest of the place was a mystery. Unlike Eternia's more modern buildings, this place was steeped in history, ancient tapestries carefully hung on the walls.

The room inside was equally ancient, not quite overdone enough to be extravagant, but definitely appropriate for the government seat of a small country. Other people were already gathered around a round table, faces that he thought he could identify from his involvement in the previous war. "No vestal, Lady Edea?" the man closest to her addressed her. Fairly young, military uniform-ah, Daniel Goodman of the Eisen region. Had he been selected as their ruler, or just their representative, he wondered.

"She came to visit Eternia and caught its ever-present cold," Edea said with a wave of her hand. "It happens to visitors all the time, I'm afraid. Even though it's just a little cold, our doctor insisted on holding her 'for observation', she says."

"Well, it wouldn't do to have it turn into something worse," Goodman said with a nod.

Next to him, a plump, older woman frowned. The matriarch of Florem, Alternis recalled, though he didn't remember her name. "Indeed, it wouldn't, the poor dear. I wonder if our schedule for the vestaling training has been too harsh?"

"Nothing like that. She loves to see the next generation, you know."

"So you've brought along a young man in her place?" a man in Ancheim garb said. Not the king-the prime minister. Harena?

"Oh, you remember Ringabel, don't you, Prime Minister? He's one of the Warriors of Light, and a close friend of Agnes and myself."

"I've only come to observe," Alternis spoke up, raising his hands. "I won't interfere with your meeting."

"Oh, of course, the gentleman traveling with you and the vestal," Harena said with a nod. "I haven't any objections to him. No one else, I assume?"

No one spoke up. The King of Caldisla was watching him, Alternis noticed, as if he couldn't quite place him. Well, they had met before. Edea took the last chair around the table, and Alternis placed himself against one of the pillars in the spacious room, listening in. "Should we ask the vestal to rearrange her schedule?" Goodman said. "We do want to give her adequate time to recover."

"I can take the question to her, but she'll probably refuse. I can't blame her; getting the four temples back to what they were is a priority."

"Assuming we want to get them back to what they were before," Harena said. "I must confess I've been curious about the work Eternia did on the crystals over the last fifteen years as part of their Anticrystalism movement. I heard great things."

 _Damn Khamer and his blabbermouth_ , Alternis thought.

"Unfortunately, there isn't really much I can tell you," Edea said, folding her hands on the table. "In talking with the researchers left after the Earth Crystal was reawakened, it seems the things we did were only possible because of the failed attempt at the Grand Ritual - which is what caused the eventual dormancy of the crystals in the first place. Our actions were not a mere exploit, but a necessary draining of dangerous buildup within the Earth Crystal. Now that it is back to its pure and normal state, our tapping into it is useless. Having said that, it was not a waste." She sat up straight, looking around the table. "The availability of the white magic waves coming off the Earth Crystal due to the failed Grand Ritual allowed us to learn much more about white magic and medicine than we would have been able to do on our own. And that is something we _can_ share with the rest of the world. Eternia would be happy to have white mages of the rest of the world come intern, or to send ours out into the world once they have been fully trained."

"That is a wonderful resource to have available," the Matriarch agreed. "I myself would be very pleased to take Eternia up on that offer. We are still in recovery, and the addition of skilled white mages would be welcome."

She was likely referring to DeRosa's failed plans in Florem. Not that Alternis ever preferred subtle warfare to forward, honest combat, but the methods used by DeRosa had been nothing short of deplorable. Eternia's official ruling was that he had been declared a war criminal post-mortem, but Edea had done Einheria and her sisters a favor by declaring them victims, not accomplices. _I should have kept a better tab on that old pervert, instead of just relying on Victor and Victoria's reports. But hindsight never helped anyone._

"By the way, I noticed the airships," Edea continued. "How is production coming?"

"Ah, I couldn't be more pleased," Harena said. "With the supplies from Eisen and Yulyana, I think we'll be able to meet the worldwide demand. We've still got some openings in the company on the schedule management, as well. Having the requisite docks in all the appropriate cities is the big thing now."

Alternis listened silently as the talks continued, mentally making notes of the meeting. Seeing Edea in this environment, sitting just as tall as the other leaders of the world, holding her own, was seeing her in a completely different light than from when she was home. The spoiled but cheerful girl that he'd grown up with was nowhere to be found. Standing before him, conducting herself on behalf of Eternia and the entire world, could be none other than the daughter of Braev Lee.

The sun was starting to dip below the horizon when the meeting concluded, the lights in the town glowing like fireflies. "We ran over again," Edea said sheepishly. "Looks like the Grandship is already making port. I feel bad, we won't have time to visit Egil."

"I'm sure he'll understand."

She nodded, running down the pathway ahead of him. "Hey... Thanks for coming with me, Alternis. I really felt better having you here."

"You can always ask-" Pause. "How long have you known?"

"From the start." She turned and gave him a bright smile. "Silly, the both of you. There's no way I wouldn't be able to tell you two apart."

"You could have said something," he grumbled, falling into step behind her.

"But you were working so hard. I don't think anyone else could have possibly been able to tell. Maybe Father." She turned away from him, continuing downward. "It really... made me happy."

He caught up to her, falling into step next to her shoulder. Perhaps this wasn't such an uncomfortable place to be. "Then it was worth it."


	9. Placement: Part 5

Now that Agnes was back on her feet, Ringabel had thought she might stay in the lab, but she insisted on going back to her scheduled appearances at the temples, starting with the Earth Crystal. Then again, that was pretty Agnes-like: devoted to duty above all else, even at the risk of further harm. Still, that meant that it was just him and Lilia in the lab, and she had her own work to do.

Then Airy finally woke up.

"Here's what I remember hearing. Of course, this is all hearsay from humans, but some of it might be useful. One: celestials live on another plane. Two: Summons are a lesser form of celestial. Three: Only celestials can cross the barrier between planes to come to Luxendarc or the Infernal Realm. Why they do so, we don't know. Four: No one knows what a celestial looks like, possibly because they don't have physical forms for the most part. Five: What exactly a celestial can do is up for debate. Some people think they have unlimited power, but personally, I'm pretty dubious of that."

Ringabel tapped his pencil against the page. "Most of this is what we already knew. Nothing on how to call one?"

"A hundred thousand years, and I've never heard of it being done. It doesn't bode well, does it? Ah, but I did remember that entering the celestials' plane was Ouroboros's goal. I don't suppose you've got ten thousand worlds you'd be willing to sacrifice?" she said dryly.

"Of course not. But I remember the Sage saying it was much easier to send light and sound than it was to send a physical form. If we just had a way of getting our voices to the Celestial Realm, maybe that would work. You remember the Sage's spell to communicate with other worlds, right? Could we use that?"

"I could cast it, but I wouldn't know what 'direction' to point it at," she said. "I don't know the math of the space-time of the Celestial Realm."

"Hm. We'll keep it in mind."

A knock at the door of the lab drew his attention, and Alternis entered, a stack of books under his arm. "I found these in the libra-That's alive?"

"Huh? Oh, Airy," he realized. Belatedly, he remembered that Alternis, too, would know who Airy was. "Um, she's on our side, don't worry."

Alternis peered down at her, helmet inches away from her face. "Stop staring at me like that," she complained. "You're too close."

"You do realize that's the Evil One, right?" Alternis told Ringabel. "She's trying to destroy the world."

"Yes, she was," he agreed, "but we've put a permanent stop to that. Didn't Edea tell you?" He gave Airy a weary look. "I need to stop exposing you to people who know who you are. All these explanations are getting tiring."

"Sorry, Master."

Alternis let out a sigh. "Well, if I gave you a second chance, I guess I can give her one, too. I saw her sitting on top of Mr. Tiz's chamber and thought she was just a decoration."

"She's actually the one that helped me get here, believe it or not." Ringabel gestured for Alternis to have his usual seat at the table. At least, with him coming by with increasing frequency, things weren't as lonely as they could have been. "I've got a new bean from Harena, want to try it?"

He made a face. "No thanks. Their stuff is watered-down swill."

"Agreed, but it's the way they make it, not the bean itself. Here, I'll make you a cup. You might like it when it isn't filtered to death. How are things in the Council today? I haven't seen Edea yet."

"That's because she and her father are discussing strategy for the next World Council meeting."

"Ah. Father-daughter bonding time?"

"I suppose. I've actually got a different mission on my plate today." He took off his helmet at last, dissolving it into darkness. "Is Lilia around?"

"Last I saw her, she was yelling at the cats. Lilia," he called toward the back, not quite willing to leave the coffee unattended.

"Yes? Coming!" She came bounding out just as the coffee finished brewing, bouncing in place. "I see you took it off without prompting. Good boy."

Alternis let out a snort in response. "If you don't mind me asking, what is it with you and helmets and people's faces?"

"People have faces. Machines do not. If I can't see a face, how do I know it's a person?"

"Uh... Wouldn't the voice and the rest of the shape clue you in?"

She shook her head. "It's too hard without the face."

"Well, you did grow up in a labratory, so I guess that sort of makes sense. Coffee?" Ringabel poured a cup for himself and one for Alternis, passing it to the man.

"Sure. You make coffee really well. It's always so strong."

"You like your coffee strong?" Alternis asked in surprise.

"With some of the schedules I'm running, it has to be strong."

Ringabel offered her the other chair, leaning back against the wall. "So what mission are you on today, Alternis?"

"I'm testing an airship for the Eternian design team," he said. "We can't keep up with their production, so we've been focusing on efficient designs. They've brought me over a prototype to test."

"What kind of prototype?" Ringabel asked, interested.

"It's a smaller airship. Designed to hold not more than a dozen. We're thinking it could be useful for people like myself or Edea who need to move around, but don't always want to divert a whole crew to do it. it's designed to be able to pilot it with just one person. If these take off and we can bring the cost of production down, there are a lot of people in Eternia that could benefit from these, too."

"Agreed. That sounds great. I'm envious," Ringabel said. "New ships are awesome."

"Aren't they, though? Actually..." Alternis fidgeted in his seat. "We're not close to the target weight, but since we're doing testing, maybe you'd like to ride with me and help me test its capabilities? Lilia, too."

"Would I ever! When do we leave?"

Alternis looked at Lilia, who thought about it. "I don't think anything's time sensitive right now," she said slowly. "I mean, why not? I've never been on an airship before. It's good to try new things, right?"

"That's the spirit," Ringabel said. "Let's go see this ship! Airy, can you keep a watch on the lab?"

"Sure thing, Master."

"Good girl. It's going to be cold out there," he told Lilia, "so bring some gloves and a hat."

Out on the central command's dock, the ship was as described, but even more beautiful, with gold-colored railings against a black background, and silver detailing. "Oh, it's so pretty," Lilia said in surprise. "And so cute. What's it called?"

"Easbi," Alternis told her. He added sheepishly, "Edea named it."

Ringabel approached it, taking his time as he walked around it. Lilia was just eager to get on the deck, swinging at the railings. "We're trying charged mythril in the engine," Alternis explained to him, "since orichalcum is at such a premium. There's a downstairs room, but most of the space below deck is the engines. There's some seating at the back of the deck here, with safety harnesses, and the center console here has everything you need. And the awning keeps everything in the shade."

"It holds up under the wind?" Ringabel asked, poking the fabric.

"Don't know. That'll be one of the things we'll be testing." Alternis unlatched part of the railing, folding down a ramp. "Ladies first?"

Lilia ran up the ramp with enthusiasm, the boards creaking under her feet. "Well," Ringabel observed, "ramp works."

"It smells a bit like my lab," she said in surprise. "All oil and metal and electricity."

"All airships smell like that," Alternis said with a quick smile. "You don't really get rid of that until you get into the ships the size of the Grandship."

"And that's mostly due to the division between the machinery and the living space," Ringabel said, sliding open the door to the lower area.

"You've been on the Grandship before?" Lilia asked.

"I've piloted it before."

"Now _I'm_ jealous," Alternis said. "I'd love to try that, just once. How does it handle?"

"Surprisingly light and fast on its feet, so it can catch you unawares. Once you're used to its speed, it's quite smooth."

Alternis folded back up the ramp with a lever, refastening the railings. "The engine operation is pretty simple. You have to prime it, like this," he explained as he jumped down into the engine area, flipping open some switches and valves before starting to pump on a hand lever. "It's a little stubborn, though. If we want to market this to civilians, that part has got to be easier."

"I'll take some notes," Ringabel said, flipping to the back of his journal for a spare page.

Alternis pulled himself out of the hole. "I wouldn't mind a better seating arrangement down there, either. And some storage. And some separation for the engine. Right now it's pretty much all engine room. There's not really a spot to duck and cover in case of bad weather."

"There's also not really a place for it for the pilot, but that's nothing unusual."

"True. I could use something like a windscreen."

"Are you going to put back on your helmet?" Ringabel asked. "It's going to get windy."

He looked at Lilia, then said, "I anticipated that, so I brought goggles."

Ringabel grinned as he took a seat at the back with Lilia, watching as Alternis began the liftoff. Getting off the dock was a bit jolty as Alternis tried to feather it out, but then they were off the ground and in the air. "We're getting so high!" Lilia cried in delight. "Whee! More!"

"As you wish," he said, sending the ship above the level of the Central Command tower.

"I can see everything!" she gasped in surprise. "There's the city! This is the whole tower! That must be the temple! We could go visit Agnes."

"We could, but let's not do that just yet," Ringabel said. "We have time, so let's enjoy the flight. How's the handling, Alternis?"

"A bit rough, as you can probably tell. I think it needs some fine tuning to be really good, but the power's there."

"Do you think it can handle the full twelve people?"

"I'm not sure. They'll be putting it through some more thorough weight tests. It's great that this charged mythril seems to be holding up well, though."

"Yeah. How'd they come up with the idea for it?"

"Just thinking about orichalcum. They are similar minerals, after all."

"What's that?" Lilia asked, pointing. "That house all the way on the edge of the cove."

"Ah, that's Lord DeRosso's castle," Ringabel said after taking a look.

"Oh, so that's where he lives. I was wondering because I've never seen him at home. Maybe we can pay him a visit, sometime, too."

"I wouldn't count on it," Alternis said. "He doesn't like visitors. You'd do best to let him know you're coming out, first."

"Have you been to visit him before, then, Alternis?"

"Just on Council business. He doesn't like getting involved in the business side of things, even though he's a member," Alternis grumbled.

"I don't blame him," Ringabel said. "Someone that's lived that long usually isn't worried about the details. Ask him about his paintings if you're feeling bold sometime, Alternis."

"I'm not sure I'm _that_ bold."


	10. Placement: Part 6

Agnes still looked a little pale, so Edea had applied a little makeup to her, just enough to make her color more normal. Praise the crystals that Mephilia had taught her a few tricks, Edea thought, even as she felt a twinge of regret that Mephilia was no longer there. That was just a feeling that she was going to have to get used to. That said, if that was the worst she felt during this meeting, she'd be getting off lightly.

"Good afternoon, everyone." Agnes gave the rest of the World Council a polite bow, then retrieved her bag from Edea. "I have brought something of interest to the meeting today."

"Oh?" Daniel sat up in his seat, taking the book she handed to him. "What's this?"

"It's a text," Agnes explained as she handed a copy to each of the world leaders. "One recovered from the time period predating the Crystal Orthodoxy. It is the text of the foundations and tenets of Crystalism."

The Matriarch looked up at her. "You're not handing this to us for its historical significance, I'm assuming, Agnes?"

"That is correct. I wanted to give you the opportunity to familiarize yourselves with the material before the temples start officially adopting these guidelines for conduct."

The king of Caldisla looked at her sharply. "Now hold on. You're talking about rewriting religion. Even if you're the only living vestal, it is not for you to determine what people believe."

"The basic tenets of Crystalism have and always will be the same, Your Majesty," Agnes replied. "And indeed, the crisis we faced has proven those tenants are true. The four crystals are intimately tied into this world, and us to them. This is more directed at the organization of the temples and their practical conduct. To be frank, there are further changes I would like to enact, as well."

"Such as?" Harena asked.

"A system that would allow for multiple vestals, that would rethink the idea that the vestal is married to the crystal."

"Isn't that one of the basic tenets of Crystalism you're talking about?" Harena asked sourly. "The vestal system long predates the Orthodoxy."

"That is true. But how humanity approaches the crystals does not change the truth of what they are, prime minister. The crystals are not human. Attaching human sentiment to them, like marriage, enables emotion to cloud our treatment of what is a force of nature."

"I can't go along with this," the king of Caldisla said with a shake of his head. "You're trying to change everything the world believes in."

"I do not agree, Your Majesty, but surely you at least can acknowledge that things cannot stay as they are? We cannot repeat the mistakes that caused the Grand Ritual and shutdown of the crystals."

"Perhaps not, but making a bigger mistake doesn't make things better!"

"Let's let her finish, Your Majesty," Edea said, raising a hand.

He turned to her. "Was this your idea, lady of Eternia?"

She shut her jaw with a click of teeth. "Your Majesty, I grew up on Anticrystalism. I am in no way qualified to tell Agnes what to do. As the only living vestal, she is more than capable of making her own decisions."

"Let's all calm down," Daniel spoke up. "Since this seems to be a sensitive subject, let's put it aside for a bit. What other changes are you considering, lady vestal?"

Agnes turned in his direction. "I would like to open the temples to the public. To those who wish to pray as well as those who would assist in studying the crystals themselves."

"That's not a move I would have expected out of you, Agnes," the Matriarch said. "Opening them all to the public? To the crystal?"

"We would obviously need measures to prevent sabotage to the crystals," Agnes said, "such as limiting access to the crystals themselves. But yes, that has been my intention for some time. The crystals do not belong to any one person or thing, Matriarch."

Edea smiled. Both Daniel and the Matriarch were watching her with interest. Starting to come around. "I'm not opposed to that," Daniel said at last. "What else did you have in mind?"

"When we have vestals established for each of the other temples," Agnes said, "I would like them to be present for these meetings as well, in a capacity not as decision makers, but as advisors and witnesses."

Harena rested his chin on one hand, regarding her. "What's your rationale for doing so, lady vestal? Not that I object to your presence, but… you wish to include more of your fellows?"

"That is correct, in their capacity as representatives of the temple. This and the idea of opening the temples to the public are two sides of the same page, prime minister. The crystals are a part of this world, not to be divorced from it. The same goes with for the temples. We, too, are at fault for walling ourselves off from society and ignoring the signs of impending conflict."

"You're committed to these ideas, lady vestal?" Daniel asked her.

"Completely, commander."

He met her eyes. "Then how do you feel about the more practical questions that will inevitably occur? Such as possible uses of the crystals themselves?"

Edea tried not to wince. Just when she thought Agnes has managed to bring some of them on board. To her surprise, though, Agnes didn't look ruffled at the question. More like she'd been expecting it. "We would have to proceed with extreme caution to ensure nothing like the past tragedy happened, of course, which would warrant further study of the crystals first. But I am not opposed to it in principle. Do we not already use the wind and waves and flames for the betterment of the world and humanity?"

All of them were staring at her in varying levels of surprise. Even Edea admitted she hadn't expected that response. "You really are determined to leave the tenets of Crystalism," the king of Caldisla said, voice more shocked than angry. "What happened to worship? You're talking about the sacred crystals as if they're tools."

"Not tools, Your Majesty. A force of nature and a part of our world. The vestals' priority will always be to pray for the purity of the crystals and the safety of our world. That is what we have always devoted our lives to. Our fault lies with not understanding that force of nature. By treating them with unquestioning hearts, we failed to identify and prevent the problems that came unto our world. We need to have the courage to question our knowledge, our lack of knowledge, for our stated purpose."

It wasn't quite the courage to disobey, Edea thought in amusement, but it was working. They were listening, they were on board. Finally, things were starting to go right. "I have another question, lady vestal," Daniel said. "What about-"

A muffled explosion over their heads shook the walls, rattling the windows and the glasses on the table. Edea immediately drew her sword, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Daniel do the same. "Guards!" the king of Caldisla called. "What is-"

Something broke through the roof above, showering them with bits of wood and stone. Someone-no, two someones-landed on the table, clad all in black. Alternis? No, this was definitely not her dark knight-not either of them.

"Warriors of Light, Avatar of Fire and Avatar of Wind," the first figure said to them, addressing them in a masculine voice that sent chills down her back. It couldn't be. "Your presence is required."

"I must've missed your invitation," Edea replied, sarcastic. "Who are you?"

The other dark night, female judging by the silhouette, raised her sword, drawing a black line down the wall. Every tapestry came crashing down to the floor. "That was a warning," she stated in a flat tone. "Come along quietly, or we will bring you by force."

"Answer the question. Who the hell are you? And what do you want us for?" Was she losing her mind? Had stress finally snapped her to the point where she was seeing what she thought she was seeing?

"I don't answer to the likes of you," the words ended in a snarl. "Come along, now."

Agnes put a hand on Edea's arm, pushing her sword down a fraction. "Do not engage in violence," she instructed the dark knights. "Do not bring further harm to this place, and we'll come with you quietly."

Edea looked at Agnes, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Agnes met her eyes, then glanced to the side. The king of Caldisla was scooting away, looking to the door for the guards, and the Matriarch was also on the floor, cradling an injured arm. Picking a fight here would be disastrous. At the same time, Agnes's straightforward gaze indicated that wasn't the only reason. Had she noticed what Edea thought she'd noticed? When had Agnes become such a leader? "You win," Edea said, sheathing her sword. "But you'd better give us a good explanation along the way."


	11. Replacement: Part 1

The table had been switched out for a larger one, upon which DeRosso's books were neatly stacked. Ringabel had one open, Alternis was browsing another, and Airy was standing over a third, dragging over each page she turned. "Here's another mention of the summons," Alternis spoke up. "Let me see how long this section is... Not that long." He sighed. "Let me look, but I think this one's out, too."

"I'm not surprised. I think most of these are probably going to be duds. Let's hope they won't all be that way, though." Ringabel put his own book down, rubbing at his temple. "Anyone want a refill on their drink?"

"I'm fine."

Ringabel checked the temperature of his own drink, and decided he could use an extra hit. "Thanks for coming to help me look through these books, Alternis. An extra set of eyes is invaluable."

"I'm not busy in the evenings, so it's not a problem. Besides, I'm curious. Have you ever seen a summoning before, Ringabel?"

"I've done a few. During our journey, I was kind of a jack of all trades, so I studied a bit of everything."

Airy shuddered. "If I never have to see that awful fire breather again, it'll be too soon."

"Hm." Alternis watched Ringabel as he sat back down. "Why did you study all those different things?"

"Well, I didn't remember that I was a dark knight, right? So I figured I'd try everything and see if I could find something I was good at, or something I liked. I'm pretty well-suited to being a jack of all trades, though. It's a great surprise element when people expect you to be a dark knight and you pull out a burst of black magic or a swordmaster technique."

"Hm, that's a good point. What kind of abilities do you think would pair well with a dark knight?"

"Oh, well, any job based on straight up damage instead of magic will be good. I really like some of the ninja techniques. The pirate's also got some great stuff. And monk techniques and abilities can pair really well with some of the dark knight ones. But the best thing to pair with the dark knight is other people, to make up for some of its downsides."

"I agree!" Alternis said. "A good healer is always a good backup, but a monk or a knight can really work well together. I remember trying out various combinations with Barras and Heinkel-What was that?"

Ringabel turned his head. "Sounded like something in the back. Maybe one of the cats knocke-"

This time, there was a definite, if muffled, sound of shattering glass and force. "Lilia!" Alternis shouted, bolting for the back. "Are you all right?!"

"Airy, stay here," Ringabel instructed, following Alternis past the consoles, down the hall to where the heavier equipment was. "Lilia?"

The tank had been the cause of the explosion, it appeared, with glass and metal strewn about. With a sudden shock that felt like a punch to the stomach, Ringabel realized it was the tank Tiz had been housed in. Lilia lay on the ground, unmoving. "Lilia!" Alternis ran to her, kneeling next to her. "Lilia, what happened?!"

"Alternis, watch out!" Ringabel only saw the shadow move when it appeared behind Alternis, grabbing him in a headlock.

"Who-"

"Warrior of Light and Avatar of Water," the metallic-toned voice said. "Your presence is required." It wasn't just the tone of the voice, muffled by the dark helmet as it was, but the voice itself that sent chills down Ringabel's spine.

Behind them, Ringabel could make out a second dark knight, a female one with Tiz's form slung over her shoulder. "Let them both go!" Ringabel shouted, wondering what the best course of attack was. Would magic be precise enough to hit without harming Tiz or Alternis? "What do you want?"

The dark knight holding Alternis turned toward him. "Wanderer from another world, our business is not with you," he stated. "Please do not interfere."

"I said let them go!"

Before he could take a step toward either one of them, the dark knight holding Alternis directed his free hand at Ringabel. The blast of air threw Ringabel off his feet, and he had the barest of moments to armor up before he was bodily thrown through the equipment and the wall behind. Even with the armor, the blow knocked him all but senseless, and he lay where he fell, unable to get to his feet right away. Through the ringing of his ears, he heard footsteps moving away from him.

After that, he wasn't sure if he actually blacked out or not, for the next thing he knew, Airy's voice was in his ears. "Master! Master, can you hear me?!"

With a groan, he sat up, feeling bruises all over. "I can hear you," he mumbled, taking the helmet off. "Ow, ow. Did they... get away?"

"There's no one here but you and the doctor, Master. Are you all right?"

"No, but it won't hamper me."

Extracting himself from the rubble slowly, he climbed back through the hole in the wall. Lilia, thankfully, was already stirring, sitting up. "That's a lousy prank, Alternis," she grumbled.

"That wasn't Alternis. Two dark knights kidnapped Alternis and Tiz, Lilia. We need to go after them." He gave her a hand up.

"Us and what army? And in this state?" She looked him over.

"You're a doctor, aren't you?" Ringabel put an armored hand on her forehead, then realized it was a useless gesture. "How do you feel? I have a little ability with white magic."

"If I'm conscious, I'm fine." Lilia looked around the lab. "What a mess... And why did they take Tiz, too?"

"They're after the four Warriors of Light," Ringabel said, "though why, I have no idea. He said something about the Avatar of Water. Have you heard anything like that?"

"Beats me." She poked at his armor. "I guess you two really are cousins."

"The truth is a bit more complicated than that, but we don't have time right now."

"Tell me on the way, then."

"Hey, you lot," a voice called from the rear entrance to the lab. "Can you keep it down? Some of us are trying to do work, you know."

Ringabel ran to the back entrance, stopping short as he saw the speaker. "...Holly?"

"Who were you expecting?" The woman gave him a disdainful look-or it could just be her normal look, really. "Whatever freaky things you're doing with a twelve year old, keep them quiet."

"Physically, I am seventeen, I'll have you know," Lilia said with a huff as she stopped behind him.

In his world, she'd died. He hadn't expected that she would be living in this world. Perhaps-No, wrong time to ask. "Did you see anyone else in this hallway?" Ringabel asked Holly.

"Someone else stupid enough to be making a racket at this time of night? No. Though, the Grandship was docked a few minutes ago," she said, looking over her shoulder. "You people are all crazy. Go back to bed."

"The Grandship? Lilia, come on," Ringabel said, taking her by the wrist and pulling her along.

The dock outside was deserted, as to be expected from this time of night, but the bulk of the Grandship in the air above was unmistakable. "What are Datz and Zatz doing here?" Lilia said, tilting her head up. "They didn't even come say hi."

"Because that isn't our Grandship," Ringabel said. "We need to give chase."

"How? Flap our arms really hard so we'll fly?"

Ringabel looked around, his eye falling on the miniature airship further down the dock. "The Easbi," he said. "We can take that. Help me get it started up, Lilia."

"Can you actually fly this thing?"

"There isn't an airship I _can't_ fly." Ringabel set to work loosing the anchors holding it to the dock, then hopped the railing. "Go down and prime the engine. Can you do that?"

"Okay. I remember how Alternis did it," she told him flipping open the hatch and dropping into the engine room.

Ringabel looked up, tracking the course of the ship as the lights around him came on, the ship rumbling pleasantly under his feet. The Grandship was moving away from Eternia, heading toward the open sea. "It's on," Lilia shouted from under his feet, poking her head back out from the hatch. "You're really going to fly this thing?"

"Hold on to something." Ringabel threw the lever for the altitude control, and the ship rose smoothly into the night sky.

* * *

 

With its lesser power, the Easbi could barely advance on the distance between it and the Grandship, making Ringabel start to sweat over its fuel supplies. But the Grandship seemed content to stop once it was out in the open waters, the dawn sun glinting off the waters. In her little nook in the engine room, Lilia stirred, poking her head above the deck. "Are we there yet?"

"They've stopped," Ringabel told her. "Whether they've seen us or not, I'm not sure. I'm trying to close in on the Grandship's blind spots."

She yawned. "So what's the plan?"

"If we can get close, there are some places we can sneak aboard. We might even be able to get this ship inside the Eschalot's bay, if it's open."

"It's open normally?"

"Well, sometimes the doors stick. If it's similar to our Grandship, anyway."

Lilia rubbed at her eyes. "Aren't you tired?"

"I'll be fine for a while longer." He didn't take his eyes off the ship, keeping the ship low. "If you're awake, come up here and help me watch for danger."

"Are you expecting trouble?" she asked as she extracted herself from the hole, holding onto one of the deck supports. "What should I be looking for?"

"Possibly, if they spot us. That dark knight had some high-level spells," Ringabel muttered. "One good Aeroga while we're this high up could destroy this ship."

"Hmm. Maybe we should've gotten a bigger ship."

"No time. And our Grandship isn't exactly subtle. I'd rather sneak on than go for an all-out fight, especially when we don't know what they want yet."

"What do you think they're up to?"

"I don't know. I've been thinking about it the entire time, but I can't imagine anything that you would need the Warriors of Light for, let alone kidnap them for. We're reasonable people; if they needed help with something, they could just ask." He didn't say that he could think of at least one possibility, because he could only hope that it wasn't true.

"Well, I suppose that begs the question of what a Warrior of Light really is."

"That's a good question, and one that I can't really answer. We did defeat Ouroboros, but it's not like we're celestials ourselves or anything special. We're just human."

Airy popped her head out of his bag. "That is the case, Master. At the same time, you're not 'just' human. To defeat a being such as Ouroboros... No one who is 'just' human could achieve that. I'm still a little surprised that anyone who can claim the status of 'human' could have done it."

"We didn't do it alone, that's why." Ringabel kept his eyes forward. "We were supported by those of us across the ten thousand worlds. The people that we could've been. Those with different happiness and sadness, those with different pasts, those with different futures. But all still the same essential 'us'. Airy, do you know anything about this 'Avatar of Water' thing the dark knight mentioned?"

"Hm... I've heard the term used in a general sense, as one who holds the power of water, or one of the other elements. But I don't know what it would mean in this context."

"I guess we'll have to go ask our new friends, then."

As they got closer, Ringabel couldn't spot any good places underneath to slip the Easbi in. Unlike their Grandship, it looked as if parts of it had been bolted over with armor, for purposes he could only guess at. There also appeared to be at least six entendable, grabbing claws stationed toward the very front of the ship. "Master," Airy said, pointing. "Something's hanging in front of the ship."

"It looks like a human," Lilia said.

"That's not just a human," Ringabel said. "Edea!"

Lilia put a hand on his arm, as if he might charge forward through the air. "I doubt that, Ringabel. This has to be a trap. They've seen us."

"You're right, it is a trap. They wouldn't put our Edea in danger like that after going to the effort of kidnapping her." He put a hand on Lilia's head. "But that is 'Edea'. I can't leave her like that."

"But if we get in range, we'll be as good as caught."

"Master!" As they watched, electricity darted down the rope, striking the hostage with force.

Logically, he knew he couldn't hear her cries from this distance, but they echoed in his head. "Get us closer, Lilia," Ringabel ordered. "But keep us just out of range if you can. I'm handing over the wheel to you."

"What are you going to do?" Lilia asked, even as she took the controls. "I'm not very good at this, I only saw Alternis do it the one time..."

"You'll be fine. Just get up high enough that I can make a jump for her."

Lilia bit her lip, then moved the ship forward, stopping under the girl's position and slowly moving the ship upward. Ringabel watched as a pair of the claws descended for them. "Okay, Lilia, stop! Go back down!" he shouted, even as he leapt. His legs were coils that had been released at their peak, sending him up toward the claws. Kicking off one that got too close to him, he shot up to the hostage, slicing through the rope holding her with one quick slash. This definitely wasn't his Edea, he noted as they started to fall, the girl landing in his arms. She was far too young.

"Hold onto me," he told the girl. Time paused; then they began to descend with increasing speed toward the Easbi and the ocean far below. The claws stayed out of his way as he picked up speed, which was good because they weren't grabbing at him, but bad because he had nothing to break his fall but the Easbi's deck and his own legs.

The impact cracked the boards of the deck, pitching the ship bow-ward violently. Pain seared up his legs, but he ignored it, thankful for his armor. If nothing else, it'd hold him in one piece until they weren't in danger. "Are you crazy?!" Lilia shouted, clinging to the wheel. "There are limitations to a human body, you know!"

"That was within my limits. Switch with me," he told her, setting the girl on the deck. "You're a better healer and I'm a better pilot."

She huffed even as she grabbed for the young Edea, pulling the girl into her lap. "I did well enough."

"Yeah, you did." Ringabel dropped the ship lower, jerking it to the side as a claw snapped inches from their railing.

Lilia let out a yelp as she slid across the deck, the girl still in her lap. "Watch it!"

He pressed his lips together, but leveled the ship, aiming a burst of fire at the next incoming claw. It didn't so much as slow down, latching onto the railing and the side of the ship, crunching into the wood. Ringabel threw the ship in the opposite direction, and the engine strained as the Easbi tried to break free. "Come on, curse you," Ringabel muttered as he took aim at a joint of the arm, calling up ice instead. "What the hell are these things made of?"

"Ringabel!" Another arm came crashing onto the railing of the opposite side, latching on. He barely had time to question its appearance before electricity arced down the arm, straight into the ship and straight into their bodies. He heard Lilia scream, and then the sound of something exploding below deck, giving way. Then the electricity ceased and the claws began dragging the Easbi upward, this time with no resistance.

Great, just what he needed, having all the nerves in his body fried. It was just another layer of pain he was going to ignore. "Lilia, are you two all right?"

"That really hurt," she groaned, "but I'll be okay, I think. But that ship is pulling us up. What do we do?"

"Focus on Edea and yourself. That's your responsibility right now." Ringabel pulled himself up to the wheel, confirming what he already suspected. "Easbi's dead in the water. We'll have to let them haul us on board."

"You're going to just surrender?"

"I didn't say that. But being on the Grandship is much better than being on the Easbi, right now. I don't want to hinge our survival on me fixing a problem in the minute and a half it would take us to fall to the ground." Leaving the now-useless console, Ringabel walked over to Lilia, taking a seat next to her. "How is she?"

"You should take a look at this." Lilia opened Edea's shirt.

Ringabel quickly turned his head away. "Hey, that's not necessary. Leave the girl her modesty."

Lilia looked at him. "Oh, I see. If it's not her, it's no good, right? Relax, I've got the important bits covered."

He wasn't sure he trusted a girl with as abnormal an upbringing as Lilia to know what the 'important bits' were, but a quick glance indicated the shirt was mostly on. Lilia had unbuttoned it from breastbone to belly button, which was more than enough to reveal the terrible scarring striping her skin. "What the heck?" he murmured, touching a finger to one of the scars. "What did this?"

"It's an explosive wound," Lilia told him. "Or it was, anyway. You haven't seen one before?"

"Explosive? You mean like she was caught in an attack?"

She shook her head. "You see this kind of thing in magic sometimes, when it goes bad. The flesh swells up, and…" She spread her fingers apart in imitation of an explosion. "Rends the flesh straight apart. I'm surprised she survived."

"That's horrific." Ringabel put a hand on her cheek, studying her features. Maybe sixteen. "How could they… How could _anybody_?"

"It's usually not on purpose." Lilia shrugged as she set about rebuttoning the shirt. "Someone's experiment probably went wrong. I told you, didn't I? If you think this is the templar's daughter--any templar's daughter--you're quite mistaken."

Ringabel didn't have a response for that. With a bump, the claws pulled the Easbi over the Grandship's lip, placing the ship on the deck. Ringabel got to his feet, one hand on his sword as he took stock of the situation.

The small airship was surrounded by soldiers in a uniform he didn't recognize, pointing a hodgepodge of weapons at the ship. Standing among them… "Commander Kamiizumi?" Ringabel muttered.

"Huh? Who's that?" Lilia asked, turning her neck to see.

"Keep your head down, Lilia.  You too, Airy." Ringabel stood up, leaning against the railing. Might as well give them only one target to aim at. "Do you always attack and seize nonviolent ships?" he addressed Kamiizumi.

"Our leadership is preoccupied at this moment," the swordsman replied. "Our orders are to let no one interfere. That is what you came here for, isn't it?"

"Since you decided to kidnap my friends without so much as a 'please', I'd say that's probably correct."

"Don't forget 'thank you'!" Lilia added.

 _Wrong time for a lesson in manners, Lilia._ "What are you planning?"

"That is not your business to know, nor is it mine. Drop any weapons you may have, and raise your hands. It would be better for you if you came with us peacefully."

"Where do you want to take us?"

"Just to a place where you can be contained until our leaders are done with what they must do. Once our task is complete, I don't care where you go."

"Kamiizumi," a voice called, approaching, but Ringabel couldn't see the speaker. "It didn't work, so we'll need to hold the intruders a bit longer. The orders are to take them to the holding room we designated down below."

"Understood." Kamiizumi raised his sword. "You have one more chance. Surrender peacefully."

At last, Ringabel spotted the speaker as it sparkled next to Kamiizumi's shoulder, just like one he already knew. "Airy?" he questioned softly. "How...?"

"Master?" Airy exited her bag, flying up to his own shoulder. "Master, what's wrong?"

"The Harbinger of Doom," the other fairy said, dread filling her voice. "Ouroboros. That man is an enemy! You must destroy him, _now_!"

Kamiizumi let his sword dip, and the rest of the group took the signal, loosing their arrows. Ringabel grabbed Airy, then jumped off the railing of the Easbi, spurred by the twin thoughts of _must draw their fire_ and _must escape_. He didn't want to kill any of these people until he understood what they were doing. He'd done enough killing without.

Unless they harmed his friends. Then there would be blood to pay.

Pain seared across his face from an arrow scratching deeply, covering the right side of his vision with black. Other arrows pinged off his armor, seeking a weak point. There was only one way to go that would get him away, and without a second thought, he took it, jumping over the edge of the Grandship's deck.

No arrows pursued him as, for the second time that day, he began to plummet toward the earth. But before that, one of the Grandship's side decks drew close. Letting go of Airy, he reached for it as it got bigger in his one eye of vision. "I know every inch of this ship," he muttered as his hands latched onto the railing. "You can't get rid of-"

For a moment, his fall was arrested, and then the decaying wood gave way beneath his fingers, sending him dropping once again. Now he was in serious trouble. "Master!" Airy said in alarm, grabbing onto his shoulder armor in a futile effort.

He had one more chance, and he hoped this worked, even though it wouldn't be pleasant. _Another layer of pain._ Pointing both hands away from the ship, he shouted, "Aerora!" throwing out a blast of wind. The pushback sent him the last few feet into and through the Grandship's brittle hull, throwing him onto a narrow hallway behind. Ringabel lay where he fell, panting for breath, otherwise unmoving.

"Master!" Airy landed next to his head, then flitted around to his chest. "Master, are you all right?"

"Just give me a few minutes." Everything hurt - his back and shoulders from the impact against the boards, his legs, his face. He put a hand over the injured side of his face, pushing healing magic into it. Once that was done, he let his arm drop, drawing the healing energy to the rest of his body. "Is there anyone around?"

"I don't hear anything. Just us. But I'll go look around," she said, flitting away again.

He focused his attention on his injuries again, forcing the white magic to come to him. It could heal his wounds, but it couldn't heal the exhaustion that closed around him like a curtain before he realized it.


	12. Replacement: Part 2

Edea had trusted Agnes's judgment on their kidnappers, and she didn't plan on backing down from that decision. But personally, she wanted more answers than they were being given. As if they knew that it was driving her nuts, the silent Konoe showed up as their escort with a contingent of the uniformed soldiers, gesturing for them to come peacefully. Despite knowing all this, it didn't stop Edea from peppering Konoe with questions. "What do you guys want with us? Where did you come from? What are you planning? If your aim is to cause harm, know right now that I'll stop you."

Agnes touched a hand to Edea's shoulder, stopping her questions. Konoe wasn't answering anyway. "Edea... Let's wait and see what happens."

"I don't know how you can be so calm," Edea muttered. "Everything about this feels funny. This isn't our Grandship, Konoe's here, those two dark knights..."

"I have a few suspicions. Let's see what becomes of them."

The guards led them to the topmost deck of the Grandship, a wide open space which already had a few other people on it. Edea easily identified the two dark knights, and there on the ground... "Tiz! Alternis?" Ignoring the guards, Edea ran to Alternis's side, checking him over.

His eyes fluttered open, focusing slowly on her face. "Edea?" he mumbled. "What are you-"

"Caught, same as you, I'm guessing. Are you hurt?"

He shook his head, pulling himself into a sitting position. "No, I'm not. I was just knocked out for a while, I think." His expression was downcast. "To think that I'd be taken so easily... I need more training."

"I'll cross swords with you after this," she said, looking over to Agnes. "Is he hurt?"

She shook her head, keeping one hand on his shoulder. "That's enough," the female dark knight addressed them. "Step away from them. You two men, stay where you are."

"Who the hell are you?" Edea demanded. "To kidnap me and then order me around, don't you know who I am?"

"I know very well who you are, Warrior of Light and Avatar of Fire."

Again with the 'Avatar of Fire' business. "I think she has a pertinent question," Agnes said. "Who are you?"

"I don't take off my helmet for the likes of you." She turned back toward the other dark knight. "These are the ones that defeated Ouroboros? I find it hard to believe."

"Don't forget, they didn't do it alone." The male dark knight walked over to Edea, gripping her arm. "Just let us do what we brought you here to do, and we'll release you afterwards. We have no interest in keeping you beyond what we need."

"And just what is that?"

"It's nothing more than a spell. Stand here," he said, pulling her toward a different area of the deck.

Somehow, she wanted to resist, but on the other hand, there was something in that grip that felt... nostalgic? She didn't like where these signs were pointing. "Let's do what he says, Edea," Agnes told her, even as she herself was led by the other dark knight.

"I know, I know," she grumbled, letting herself be pulled.

"We're ready when you are, Doctor," the male dark knight said, turning his head.

"Then step back, please. You four, please stay where you are." Victor's voice. Another foe back from the grave. "We wouldn't want the precious bodies of the Warriors of Light to be ripped apart by this spell, after all."

"What are you planning on casting, you deranged doctor?" Edea shot at him.

"You'll see soon enough."

Under their feet, a pattern began to glow, and then Edea's vision became cloaked in red, the light swallowing her. With it came an intense pressure, as if it was a giant straw trying to suck her up. It was all she could do to hold her position. "Agnes! Alternis!" she tried shouting over the light, but no noise came out. She could barely make out similar pillars, in a triangular position from her perspective, but the light kept her from seeing anything in them.

"There's a problem," she heard Victor's voice over the roar in her ears. "I'm getting very little response from the Avatar of Earth. And none from the Avatar of Water."

"The Avatar of Earth I could maybe understand, but what's wrong with the Avatar of Water?" the male dark knight asked.

"Well, if I had to take a guess, I'd say he isn't the Avatar of Water, after all. Did you perhaps make a mistake?"

"He's the Alternis of this world. How could there be a mistake?"

"There was another Alternis in that room," the female dark knight said. "Could that have been it?"

"That's not possible. He was just a wanderer, an Alternis displaced from his world."

"Are you sure?"

"I can tell."

"If it's all the same to you," Victor said dryly, "I'd still like to give this other one a try. I can tell you with certainty that this one isn't the Avatar of Water. You two already know that there's no faking it. Only the ones that were there will be the avatars."

The male dark knight made an annoyed noise in his throat. "Shut down the spell. We'll lock them up for now and go looking for this wanderer."

"As you wish." The red light around Edea dimmed, and then shut down altogether, and she dropped to the ground.

Her legs felt like jelly, and that wasn't much better than the rest of her. "Agnes," she mumbled as the soldiers lifted her up, awkwardly carrying her back the way they had come. "Alternis..."

She didn't think she fully lapsed into unconsciousness, but she was only vaguely aware of being carried. When her focus finally returned, she was sprawled on the floor of one of the Grandship's fancy bedrooms, much like the one she herself often rode in when she traveled. How ironic. "Agnes, Alternis," she said, putting a hand to her head. "Are you two all right?"

Alternis lay nearby, stirring at the sound of his name. "Ugh," he groaned, pulling himself into a sitting position. "What the heck was that?"

"I don't know. Agnes?"

"I am fine," she said, "but I do not know what they might have been trying to accomplish, either." She pulled Tiz into her lap, checking his pulse. "He's still alive, at least."

"Yeah, but how long can he last outside of Lilia's chamber? You remember what happened when we were taking him there." Edea let out a sigh. "It was a good thing we stayed, since they went after Tiz and Alternis, too. But now I think we need to leave and get Tiz to safety. As we are, he can't defend himself, and I don't want to put him through that spell again."

"No, I think you're right. I think his life is definitely in danger."

"Then we're decided. Give him to me," Edea said, and with Agnes's help, she pulled Tiz onto her shoulders. "Now we have to get out."

"How? The door is guarded." Alternis got to his feet.

"We're not using the door." Edea looked around, finding the spot she wanted at last. With a press against the wall, a trapdoor opened near her feet. "Fools," she muttered. "The only one that knows this ship better than I do is Ringabel. Agnes, you first."

She nodded, then lowered herself into the hole. "Alternis, you're the rear guard. Pull the door closed after you," Edea instructed as she sat on the lip of the hole, gingerly easing her way into the trap door while having her hands full of Tiz. Agnes half-caught her as she descended, pulling her out of the way.

Alternis dropped into the hole like a cat, reaching up to pull the door shut. "What is this place?" he wondered. "I mean, who puts a trap door in a bedroom?"

"There are service tunnels all over this place," Edea said. "I think the actual doors came later. Let's make for the bottom of the ship. If we can get to the Eschalot, we have a chance of getting away."

"What do you think we should do afterwards?" Agnes asked.

"I'm not sure. We need a quick way to get back to Lilia's lab. Of course, the best way is to get there by airship. Argh."

"Lilia was injured when they came after myself and Mr. Tiz," Alternis said. "I hope she's alright."

Edea looked over at him. "You two have been awful chummy lately."

"Well, that's--What's wrong with--Is now really a good time?"

Edea grinned, leading the way down the tunnels. "Can we take these tunnels down all the way?" Agnes asked.

"I'm not sure. I don't remember the lower ones as well. They're really dark and cramped. Plus, they might suspect we're doing that once they discover we're gone. I think a better bet will be to slip onto deck and take one of the main ladders down."

"All right. I'll trust your memory in this matter, Edea."

"Ha. I'm not so sure that's a good choice. I really wish Ringabel were here. He'd be able to run rings around these guys."

"That's true, but perhaps it is because he is not here that they were not able to do whatever it is they were trying."

"Yeah, there's that. We have Alternis to thank for that."

"I didn't really do anything," he protested. "I even got caught by those dark knights."

"You were there," Edea said, "and that was enough."

Alternis's color flushed as he fell silent. "What do you think they were trying to do?" Agnes asked.

"I don't know. It felt like my life was being sucked right out of me. Perhaps they're after some power of the Warriors of Light, or this avatar nonsense they keep going on about?"

"Perhaps, but... We are ordinary humans, Edea. We have trained in various disciplines, but there is no great shift in our properties. What could they possibly extract from us?"

"A better question is what they hope to do with that power," Alternis said, then stopped.

"Go on," Edea encouraged.

Alternis took in a breath. "Let's assume that there's some inherent power - like my power of darkness, for example - that's part of being a warrior of light or an avatar and leave it at that. If you extract such power, you're going to have a huge glob of presumably elemental, magic energy. What would you do with it? What could you possibly use it for?"

"Elemental energy in itself isn't good or evil," Agnes said. "It could be used to create just as easily as it could to destroy. To which end are our captors going?"

"That's the real question, isn't it?"

"I've noticed something else," Agnes said. "Where are the monsters?"

Edea looked around. "Now that you mention it, where _are_ they? We should've been attacked by now."

"Monsters?" Alternis echoed. "The Grandship houses monsters?"

"More like they took up breeding in here after the thousands of years the Grandship's been around," Edea said. "Datz and Zatz and I tried to eliminate them all off our Grandship when we worked on repairs, but they're slippery. Have they done the same thing here?"

"Well, why wouldn't they?"

"If the ship was being populated by a military, as it seems to be, I'm sure they would try. I'm just not sure they would succeed." She led them down staircases and ladders, across catwalks and narrow hallways, finally pausing next to a nondescript door. "If there's soldiers on the other side of this, I'm going to be annoyed," Edea muttered as she slowly opened the door.

The doorway opened up to an alley between two of the shops along the main staircase, a familiar spot. To her surprise, though, there were people everywhere - much more of a crowd than she had been expecting. And not only were they moving about, but a number even seemed to be camped out on the streets themselves, filling the alley they were standing in front of. "They're not soldiers," Agnes said. "I wonder what they are doing?"

"Let's try and blend into the crowd," Edea said after a moment. "There's a spot in the Drunken Pig that we can use to get down to the Eschalot. Just act normal."

"What part of this is normal?" Alternis muttered as Edea stepped out, Tiz still on her back. Agnes and Alternis followed, carefully stepping around those sleeping in the alley, who gave no reaction.

She had thought the crowd was abnormal from size alone, but once they were in it, Edea realized there was more to it than that. No one moved like a tourist, and relatively few seemed to be engaged with work or a purpose. Most were just lingering around, staring off into the sky or talking with their neighbors. _Just keep moving. Stay calm,_ she thought, walking in long strides toward the Drunken Pig. She could only hope it wasn't as crowded there.

As they neared the entrance, she could see a guard standing by, his posture matching the rest of the crowd. He straightened as he saw Edea, giving her a sharp salute. "Lady Edea. If I'd known you were coming, I'd-"

"It's fine," she said. "We're just stepping in for a brief rest."

The interior of the Drunken Pig was empty, surprising considering the outside. The usual tables had been put aside for longer, makeshift tables that maximized the space given, making it appear more like a cafeteria than a pub. Toward the back, she could see Zatz cleaning some tables while Datz swept the floor. "So you came," the proprietress said from her position behind the bar. "I've been expecting you, kids of this world."

She knew. Not that surprising; the proprietress had always been pretty sharp. Edea eyed the booths above, where she knew another trapdoor waited. Could they make it up there in time? Before she could make a break for it, she could hear another voice, just outside the door: "Yes, sir. Lady Edea just entered a minute ago. Are you looking for her?"

They were trapped.

* * *

 

Lilia had never been part of a rescue operation, but she was getting the distinct impression that this was not how it was supposed to go. Ringabel was gone, over the edge without a word, and she could only hope that he would be all right somehow. At least the arrows had ceased once he'd fallen, but that still left her in the position of being on a malfunctioning ship with an injured girl in her arms, surrounded by hostiles. This was kind of like the teen adventure novels Victoria used to read, only it was real and her shining knight had just fallen off the edge of an airship.

The leader of the soliders, the one Ringabel had called Kamiizumi, turned to her now. Hopping up on an extrusion of the ship, he kept his sword at the ready. "I don't recognize your face... Who are you?"

She stared at him like a dire goat caught in a spotlight. She didn't want to let on that she was a mage- if he didn't know, it could be an advantage for later. What would be a good lie? "I'm an outgoing and pretty sixteen year old looking for adventure!" she told him with a thumbs up. "And a boyfriend!"

"...What?" Kamiizumi shook his head. "Never mind. You there, lock her up with the others. I'm going to deliver my report."

The soldier saluted. Lilia watched as Kamiizumi went up the stairs into an interior part of the ship, out of sight. Now what? She could try and make her escape, but she'd never been on the Grandship like Ringabel and Edea had. 'The others' probably referred to them, so going along was probably the better choice for now. "I'll come along peacefully," she said. "I don't like violence."

Gingerly, under the point of the soldiers' spear and sword tips, she lowered herself down, then pulled the unconscious young Edea down into her arms. The girl's weight, almost as much as her own, sent her toppling onto the deck with a squeak. "Um... some help here, maybe?"

The soldiers looked at each other, but at last one of them put his weapon away, taking the young Edea in his arms. Lilia rose, letting them lead her inside the ship, to a hallway with many doors. The last one was obviously locked, not just with physical locks but with a magic spell as well, which was going to make breaking out difficult. But not impossible. She was a genius with magic, after all.

The soldier carrying Edea unlocked and opened the door, gesturing for Lilia to enter. "Don't try anything," he called inside.

Lilia did as she was instructed, entering the large, posh room. This was much nicer than the prisons in the adventure books. But one thing she didn't see were the others Kamiizumi had promised. "They're gone!" one of the soldiers said. "They've escaped somehow!"

The soldier carrying Edea set her down gently on a couch. "I'll report this to Commander Kamiizumi. You," he pointed at one of the soldiers, "stay in here with her to make sure she doesn't escape."

He saluted, and the other soldier left the room, locking it behind himself. "Hmph," the large man grunted, taking a seat on a chair that almost seemed too small for him. "Babysitting a couple of little girls? I'd rather be confronting some enemies! Let me at 'em!"

"Are you expecting enemies?" Lilia said. "I'm really quite friendly. Though Ringabel says I have issues with helmets."

"It'd be nice if there were! A man isn't meant to sit around and do nothing!" He stood up again, pacing around the room.

"What would you like to be doing, then?"

"Punching things!" If anything, this brought an increase to his already loud volume.

"Ah!" Now she had him figured out. "Are you... could you possibly be the 'mook' I've read about?!"

"A what? I don't bother with reading, I want to have more action!"

This guy was indeed a mook. She was certain of it. Now would be a good time to go... but on the other hand, she still had to worry about the girl that Ringabel had rescued. She wasn't about to abandon the girl. Especially not a girl so close to her own age, with things in common to her. "Well, I don't mind if you punch some things for a while, but I want to check on my friend, okay?" She knelt next to the girl.

"You're not too bad a brat!"

Lilia watched as he paced around the room, drawing a little magic when she was sure he wasn't watching. That done, she took stock of the room. Plush furniture, a barred window... and a scrap of cloth sticking out of the floor. _That must be why Edea and everyone isn't here anymore._

Under her hand, the girl stirred, opening her eyes. She had the same color eyes as Edea, but not quite the same shade- a bit lighter. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Lilia V. Court," she said with a bright grin. "It's nice to meet you, new friend!" She held out a hand.

After a pause, the girl took the hand slowly, and Lilia gave it a shake. There, now they were friends for real. "What's your name?"

"Edea... Edea Lee."

"Should I call you Edea, then? Or perhaps you prefer something else?"

"I... don't know." The girl drew her knees up to her chest. "Why did you save me?"

"The guy I was with wanted to save you no matter what," Lilia said. "Because you're 'Edea'. Oh, he's not here right now. It's a long story. Why were you being dangled off the end of the ship like that?"

She turned her head away. "Because... because I'm not 'Edea'. Not really."

"Ah. Because you're a clone, right?"

Edea looked at her in alarm. "You... How did you... You can tell?!"

"I thought so," Lilia said in satisfaction. "And yeah, I can tell. Maybe it's because I'm a clone, too."

"You're a...?"

"Well, something like that, anyway. Victor-papa was never really forthcoming with the details, and I couldn't find the documentation on my own creation," Lilia said with a shrug.

Edea was staring at her. "You're awfully calm about that."

"Well, what else would I do?" Lilia sat on the couch next to her, adopting the same knees-to-chest pose as Edea, listening with half an ear to the mook throwing punches into the air. "You were cloned from Edea, right? I think that's kind of mean, giving you the same name. You're your own person, don't you know. We should call you something else."

"Like what?"

Lilia paused, considering. The only female names that came to mind were Victoria and Agnes, neither one appropriate. "Oh, the novels," she realized.

"The what?"

"Oh, they're things I read. I'll lend you them sometime," she said. "Let me think. Names, names... Terra? Too earthy. Aeris? No, that's bad luck. Tifa?" She eyed the girl askance. "You're really not busty enough for that."

"...what do you mean by that?"

"What other novels were there... What was the name of that one girl with the bird," Lilia muttered. "Chiri! No, wait, maybe that was the-"

"'Chiri' is fine," the girl interrupted.

"You're sure? I mean, I could check my library-"

"No, really, it's fine. If you want to call me that, it's fine."

"Chiri it is then! By the way, how are your injuries feeling?"

"My injuries?" She slid a hand over her shirt, pulling the top of it it closed quickly. "I, I'm fine now, thanks."

"Great." She looked over at the mook. Still punching the air. Twirling a finger in the air, she cast a sleep spell, dropping him quietly. "That takes care of that. Now give me a hand here." She went over to the floor with the scrap of cloth, investigating the seam. Sure enough, there was a door, but what triggered it? "There must be a latch, probably in the wall... Feel around for it."

"What are we doing this for?" Chiri asked as she obediently ran her hands along the wall.

"Because we're going to escape. We're going to catch up with my other friends and get out of here. You're fine with that, right? This place seems pretty lousy."

"I can... really come with you? Why do you want to help me?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're friends. Oh, wait, maybe it's _not_ obvious. Sometimes it's hard to tell what you're missing, being created and all. Look, a friend is someone you like. You like being around them, eating meals with them, working on projects with them, or just talking about things. They're someone you help, and that helps you in return if you need it."

Chiri blinked at her. "I know what a friend is. I mean, why do you want to be so nice to me is all. Ah!" She jerked her hand back as something in the wall gave way, and the door swung open.

"Hey! Great job, Chiri!" Lilia pushed the door open, walking inside. Clearing away the little scrap of cloth, she said, "Let's go!"

Chiri followed her timidly. The path was a small, twisted hallway, the sound of machinery all around them. "This isn't so bad," Lilia said. "Reminds me of my lab."

"You have a lab?" Chiri asked, sticking close to Lilia.

"Oh! Yes. I'm a magic researcher," she explained. "It's a lot of fun. When we get out of here, I'll show you my lab. There's lots of machinery, and lots of books. A few cats, too. Locke is the most mischievous of the lot, he's always stealing little things. Edgar really likes to watch me work. And Sabin's a great mouser. Do you like cats?"

"I don't know. I've never met one. Ah, but I'm sure they must be nice," Chiri said with a wave of her hands.

"Well, you'll get a chance soon enough!" Lilia paused at a crossroads in the tunnel, not sure which way to go. Where would Edea have gone? Picking a random direction, she said, "So, were you born here?"

"I don't know... I guess so? I have memories, but I don't know if they're really mine... 'My name is Edea Lee. I'm one of the Warriors of Light. The other Warriors of Light are my friends'. I thought that's who I was, but then, that spell..."

"Spell, what spell?" Lilia was instantly intrigued.

"I don't know what it was. Something the dark knights made up. But it didn't work..." She put a hand to her chest. "The others... they died. I saw them die. I thought I would die myself... I don't know how I survived."

Oh, that explained the scars. "I guess it is kind of hard to watch your friends die," Lilia said. "But don't worry! I'm not going to die, so you won't have to worry about me!"

"I don't even really know if they were my friends," Chiri said. "All I have is those memories. The dark knights said I was just a replacement that didn't work. Maybe I am, but I'm not stupid. I can tell enough to know when memories and ideas were put into my mind that weren't mine."

"Oh, I guess that can be rough if you didn't want them," Lilia agreed. "I just had magical knowledge implanted in my mind, so that I could carry on my papa's work. It's not so bad." Lilia gave her a pat on the shoulder. "You're really serious. You think a lot about heavy stuff. You're not like Edea at all. Isn't that great?"

"Sorry. You must think I'm terribly gloomy." Chiri lowered her head. "I've just been thinking about this since I nearly died, and I haven't really had anyone to talk to about it..."

"Nah, you're not gloomy. You know, I used to think that Alternis was pretty gloomy, but it turns out he's not such a bad guy, once he takes off his helmet. I hate helmets."

"You know Alternis?" Chiri took a step back from her.

"Yeah, you'll like him. He's too serious and sometimes he's a real stick in the mud. And he's really bad about speaking his mind, and he's always harping on how great Braev-er, the lord marshal-is. But he's actually... a really nice guy. Oh, I guess he shows up in those fake memories of yours, but this Alternis isn't the same. Won't it be great to make some real memories?"

"No, it's not that. I think... I think I've heard that name before. In my real memories."

A sound above them made Lilia pause, drawing a little black magic in preparation. "What was that?" Chiri asked.

"Dunno. I don't like it, though. Let's hurry." Lilia took Chiri's hand, picking up her pace.

She only got a few steps before something fell out of the tubing above them, thrashing about. It resembled one of the water creatures she had heard of, but clearly had some kind of undead attribute, judging by the rotten fishy smell and the decaying flesh. Chiri let out a scream as the thing thrashed about, trying to bite at her. "What _is_ that?"

"Some kind of monster. Stay behind me." One good Thundara would probably put the thing in its place, but Lilia wasn't sure she wanted to loose that much electricity around the airship's engine. Since it was a zombie, a holy spell would be fine, right? "Don't worry, I think I got this. Ho-"

Something else came down on the creature, striking it a powerful blow. It squealed, then dissolved as the intruder hit it again. With a wave of his weapon-a massive two-headed axe-the other person finally looked at them. "Hey, what are you doing down here? It's still dangerous, you know."

Had he seen her charging her spell? She wasn't sure that the adventure and boyfriend excuse would hold up a second time. "Sorry, we got lost. We'll return right n- Mr. Tiz?"

The man tipped up his hat, raising his eyebrows as he looked at her. No, this wasn't the Tiz she knew, for this man was older, and she didn't think he was a clone, either. "That's not the way out," he said. "Here, follow me. You should stay with me anyway, in case there are more monsters."

"Were you down here looking for them?" Lilia asked, peering at his weapon. There was definitely some kind of enchantment on it, she deduced. Judging by the energies held inside the metal, she was guessing that it stored the monster's energy.

"Yes, though they're getting harder to find. I'm worried about running out of energy."

"Ah, so you are collecting their energy. What for?" Lilia asked.

"To help power certain magical things we've got on the ship," he said. "You two escapees are going to come quietly with me, aren't you? I'd hate for this to turn into a fight."

"Oh, uh... You knew?"

"Everybody on this ship knows why we collect the monsters' energy. You will come quietly, won't you?"

"Sorry, no speak your language," Lilia said, dragging Chiri away. "Goodbye!"

He only let out a sigh in response. She didn't hear him cast the spell, but then something slammed into her back, knocking her over. "Lilia!" Chiri said in alarm.

She tried to get up, but her limbs were tingling, not responding to her commands. _Drat! A paralysis spell?_

The older Tiz walked over to her, putting her over his shoulder. "You should come too, clone Edea. I'm sure Alternis doesn't want you wandering down here alone."

"Don't go using my friend's name," Lilia snapped at him, trying to wriggle her way off his shoulder. "You're a bad Tiz."

"If you say so."

"I'll come," Chiri said. "Don't hurt Lilia."

By the time they emerged into sunlight, Lilia could feel the paralysis wearing off. Tiz set her down on her own feet, waving to someone. "Hey, Alternis. I found two of your escapees."

"I'm hoping you'll tell me it's two of the Warriors of Light." Lilia heard footsteps approach.

"No, just the bystander girl, and-"

"You!" Lilia pointed at the armored man that stepped around the corner. "You're the jerk who busted up my lab and kidnapped my friends! You'd better not lay a hand on them, or I'll spread your body to the four winds!"

He turned that helmeted head toward her. This was a person, she reminded herself, not a machine. A person, albeit not a very nice one. "Strong words for a little girl."

"Just try me." With a sudden movement, she grabbed onto Chiri, gathering enough ice magic in her hand to form a spike. "Let us go, or I'll start with 'Edea'."

"You won't do it."

 _He's a person, he's a person..._ "You think I'm bluffing?"

"If you're going to do it, then do it," the dark knight said. "I have no compassion to waste on a clone who failed her purpose."

Chiri turned her head away, as if she'd been slapped. Lilia let her go, debating what kind of wrath she could bring down upon his head. "Inferior," she said. "You're inferior."

"I don't care about your opinion."

"You should."

"Did you find them yet?" Another man's voice, but this time, one that was very familiar, if almost forgotten. The speaker poked his face around the corner of the building. "I've finished resetting, if we can gather together our Warriors of Light again."

All the fight left her. She might have fought her way through the inferior Alternis and Tiz, but this was someone she could not lay a hand on. "...Victor-papa?"

He glanced at her briefly, then back to Alternis. "Edea's going to check with Kamiizumi," the inferior Alternis said. "I'll meet up with her and see if she's had any luck. Oh, can you stop this one from casting? She's apparently a mage."

Victor raised a hand, but Lilia did as well. "Stillness, right? I can cast that well enough myself."

"Who is this girl?" he directed to Alternis as he looked her up and down.

"Some girl that was with the wanderer; we don't know any more than that."

"I'm Lilia V. Court," she said, raising her chin. "The 'V' is for Victor. Or Victoria, if you prefer."

Now she had his attention. "You're from this world, correct? What are you?"

"I was created by Victor-papa's research to try and cure Victoria's ill health."

"You were a cure." He stared at her. "There was a cure. Oh, if only she'd been able to last this long..."

"Snap out of it, Victor," Alternis told him. "We still need you."

"Shut your mouth, boy." The words were ice. "I don't follow your orders. I'm only here because of _her_ last orders, and I'm only helping you because I have nothing better to do. Leave me to my grief for a small moment." Turning on his heel, he strode away from Alternis.

Lilia watched his back as he left, wondering why it made her want to cry. This wasn't her papa. This wasn't a man that she knew at all. But she knew exactly whose death was causing him to feel so much pain. "Oh, Victor-papa."

"You two come along with me, and don't try anything funny," Alternis said. "I'll meet up with you again in a bit, Tiz."

Lilia deliberately placed herself between the inferior Alternis and Chiri, shielding the girl with her back as they walked. "I'm sorry," she said to Chiri quietly. "I wouldn't have really hurt you."

"Why did you do such a thing?"

"Because 'Alternis' would have never let 'Edea' be hurt. I refuse to call that man Alternis," she said. "My Alternis is kind and caring. They're not even in the same league."

"Enough talking," Alternis told them. "Remember, you're prisoners. Don't resist, or things will be unpleasant for you in the future."


	13. Replacement: Part 3

Commander Kamiizumi entered the Drunken Pig first, followed by his soldiers. The proprietress gave him a brief nod, but waited for him to speak. "I've received word that a group posing as Lady Edea and company have set foot in here."

"You just missed them," she said with a gesture toward the upper level. "They took the trapdoor upstairs into the service tunnels. I doubt they've gone far yet."

Kamiizumi frowned at her. "Why did you let them out of your sight?"

"She looked like Lady Edea. I didn't question her orders," the proprietress replied. "You boys don't like it when I do that."

He didn't reply, turning to his soldiers instead. "You two, take the upstairs trapdoor. The rest of you, follow me. We'll position ourselves in the tunnels to cut them off. Move out."

The proprietress watched as the two soldiers obediently entered the trap door in the floor upstairs, their footsteps loud and tromping as they vanished. And just like that, the Drunken Pig was back to its silent, empty state, with only Datz and Zatz to continue preparations for the next wave of meals. "Goin' into the kitchen for a while," the propietress called to them. "When you're done with that, come join me and we'll work on dinner."

She swung open the door to the kitchen behind the bar, taking a glance around before speaking. "Coast is clear."

"We know. We were watching." Alternis stepped out of the shadows, joining Edea as she hopped over a stack of boxes. "Thank you for assisting us."

"Don't think anything of it." The proprietress sat down on a box herself, looking at the group of four. "So you lot are the Warriors of Light? Younger than I expected."

"Well... yes," Edea said, deciding the minor lie would be easier than explaining Alternis and Ringabel. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you help us? Aren't those soldiers your leaders?"

She made a derisive sound. "I answer to no authority outside of my own inside the Drunken Pig. They can do as they like, but in here, what I say goes." She pulled out a bottle, offering it to them. "Just water, mind. We're not too high on supplies right now."

"Thank you." Edea accepted, offering it to Agnes first. The other woman had Tiz in her lap, carefully monitoring his life signs. "Take a drink, Agnes. No sense in getting sick again."

"I understand." Agnes took a few dainty sips before handing it back.

Edea offered it to Alternis next, but he declined with a slight motion of his hand. His helmet was back on, a clear sign that he was prepared for danger and not comfortable in their current environment. "Lady... Proprietress," he said, "what do you have to gain by defying the leadership of your Grandship?"

"My dignity, I s'pose." She looked at Edea squarely. "Once they're done sniffing out the tunnels, I'd like you kids to get out of here, as fast as you can. If you make off with the Eschalot, you can make it back to civilization."

"Unacceptable," Agnes said. "They'll only come after us again."

"That may be, but this time you'll know they're coming."

Agnes raised her chin. "We are the Warriors of Light. We will not run or hide from those who wish to confront us."

"Even if I told you they were trying to kill you?"

"Is that the case?" Edea put a hand to her chin. "I'd gotten the impression they wanted to keep us alive for that spell they're trying to pull off."

The proprietoress let out a sigh. "Yes, that spell. They're trying to make a new world, so they tell us. I'm not so foolish as to believe that one can just wish very hard for a new world and it'll come to pass. Any world is good enough for these old bones, long as I've got my Drunken Pig." She leaned back on the box, resting against the wall. "Thing is, they've already tried that spell once before. I'm not so sure this time isn't just mere petty revenge."

"You mean, they've tried it with someone that isn't us?" Alternis asked.

The proprietoress nodded. "Got the doctor to clone themselves up a group of kids just like the four of you, to run their spell. Three of 'em died. Who knows what they did to the last one."

"Why is it," Edea asked, "that they're trying to make a new world?"

"We can't get back to our own world," she replied. "Our leadership took it hard. They're obsessed with finding a new world, where they can fit in."

"Who is this leadership? Those two dark knights?"

"Yes. You already know who they are, don't you?"

Edea swallowed, throat feeling dry despite the water. "They're Edea Lee and Alternis Dim, aren't they."

The proprietress gave them another nod. "They're from another world, then?" Alternis asked, shaking his head. "This is starting to get confusing. How did you come here?"

"By luck. Our guide spotted a crack between the worlds, and that crack led us here. Good thing, too." She got off the box, looking down at them. "Now that I've told you, will you please reconsider getting the heck out of here?"

"Unacceptable," Agnes said again. "I haven't heard from this Edea yet. And their Alternis and Tiz and Agnes, too. I want to know what is driving them to this new world. We are not so different. I am sure we can come to an understanding that will not cause any loss of life."

The proprietress frowned, but before she could say anything, noise in the dining room drew their attention. "Warriors of Light! I know you're hiding in here," a woman's voice called. "Come out at once. Otherwise, your friend's life will be in danger." This was coupled with a girl's cry.

"That's Lilia!" Without waiting for a response, Alternis made for the door, entering the dining room.

"Edea," Agnes said, "help me with Tiz."

She bit her lip as she listened to the voices outside the door. "Alternis!" Lilia's voice. "You big dummy, get out of here!"

"Lilia! ...Edea? Let both of them go, now!"

The woman's voice spoke again, and once again, Edea felt chills down her spine. She knew exactly who that voice belonged to. "I'm not interested in you, imposter. I want the three Warriors of Light. And then you're going to help me find that wanderer."

She had to mean Ringabel. Edea pushed open the door just as the dark knight struck Alternis a hard blow, sending him skidding through tables and chairs. "No, Alternis!" Lilia said in alarm.

"That's enough... Edea," Edea said as she pushed open the door, Tiz on her back. "You don't have to get violent."

The female dark knight turned her head, looking over the group. "Where is the wanderer, Warrior of Light?" she asked.

"I don't know where he is. How would I?" Edea replied, peeved. "You've kept us locked up since you kidnapped us. I haven't been able to communicate with him. What, did you think I use telepathy?"

The dark knight turned slightly to the woman next to her. She was dressed in the garb of a valkyrie, but the face was easy enough to identify. There was another version of it right next to her. "Agnes," she addressed her valkyrie self. "There is no need for this."

"You are wrong," the elder Agnes said, blunt. "There is every need."

"Hey!" the proprietress yelled, seeing the overturned tables and broken chairs. "None of that in my dining room!"

"You brought it upon yourself by hiding wanted fugitives," the dark knight said. "Don't think I'll overlook your insubordination every time, proprietress. You don't run this ship."

"What a persuasive argument you offer," the proprietress spat. "Your father must be proud."

"Edea," the elder Agnes tapped the dark knight's shoulder with her spear as she moved toward the proprietress. "She's not our priority."

"You're right." The dark knight strode over to Alternis as he stood, seizing him by the throat. "Warriors of Light, surrender now and call for your ally. Otherwise we can't guarantee the safety of those under our watch." She gestured to Agnes, who was standing watch over Lilia and a younger Edea.

"I told you, we don't know where he is!"

"He's on this ship somewhere. We haven't been able to track him down yet. You'd better call loudly for him, or else..."

Ringabel was on the ship? The thought was a relief, comforting. Somehow, she had no doubt that if she called out for him, he would hear her and come. But that wasn't what she was going to do. "No. Who are you, really? You're not Edea Lee. You're far too black as tar to be me. Where's your sense of pride as a member of the Lee family, your sense of honor and justice? Do you feel no shame that you would resort to taking and killing innocent hostages just to get your way?"

"You're a fine one to talk about clean hands," the dark knight snapped. "This whole situation is because of you! Do you know how much blood is on your hands, Warrior of Light? Don't talk to me of family. _You_ killed my mother and father!"

Edea took a step back at the furor in the dark knight's voice. "What are you talking about?"

"Agnes," the dark knight addressed her companion. "Start with the clone. We don't need her."

"No, you mustn't!" Agnes shouted, even as her older self raised her blade. "Stop this right now with the senseless bloodshed!"

"Run!" The younger Edea tried to make a break up the stairs, but Agnes's spear drew a line of red across her back, and she tumbled into the booths.

"This one's next," the dark knight told Edea, readying her blade to use against Alternis. "Call for the wanderer."

"Inferior," Lilia muttered next to Agnes. "I was going to hold back because Victor-papa is on this ship... But I cannot tolerate the inferiority of such people that claim the names of my friends!"

Edea turned just as wind whipped through the Drunken Pig with razor-sharp gusts, slicing at her face and forearms. The valkyrie let out a cry as she was hurled clean out of the pub. Lilia fixed the dark knight with an equally dark gaze. "Miserable insects, I will show you the meaning of destruction."

This wasn't Lilia, Edea realized. The feeling was overwhelmingly that of an arcanist, of Victoria. The dark knight tossed Alternis aside, drawing her blade. "So I see we'll have to make an example of you fir-"

Lilia cut her off with a quick swipe of her arm, slicing the dark armor as if it were paper. The dark knight was slammed against the wall, letting out a cry that was half-snarl as the winds sliced into her open skin. "I'll be generous," Lilia said, approaching with soft steps. "How many cuts would you like to endure before you die? I see we'll have to make an example of you first."

"Stop it, Lilia!" It wasn't Edea's voice, though she desperately wanted to say those words. Alternis placed himself between the dark knight and Lilia, holding his ground as the winds sliced into him as well, shattering his helmet. "This isn't who you are!"

"Why are you defending her?!" Lilia snapped. "They don't deserve to live!"

"I don't care about them, but I don't want to see you like this!" He grabbed her hands by the wrists, preventing her from attacking the dark knight again. "Just calm down and come back to us, Lilia!"

"Let go of me!"

"I won't let go." He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. "You're letting the darkness control you, Lilia. I can't let you go through that by yourself. Strike at me if you want, but I won't let go until you're in control again. I care about you, so I definitely won't let you be swallowed by darkness alone."

Her hands trembled, and then slowly touched his back. "But it's not fair," she whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut. "They're horrible. They insulted you and they hurt Chiri. They're not worthy of the names 'Edea' and 'Alternis'."

"It doesn't matter how many have the name, Lilia. You know who's the most important."

She sniffled, then began to cry, burying her face against his bare and bloodied shoulder. Edea felt frozen to the spot as Alternis held onto the younger girl, steadfast. He was the same as she'd always known him, unflinchingly reliable, and yet, he'd shown more command over his own darkness than any of the Alternises she'd met, Ringabel included. "He just saved your life, I hope you know," she addressed the dark knight, "so I hope you'll listen. We're going to do this on our terms. No more violence."

The older woman spat out a bit of blood. "You're coming with us."

"Yes, we are," Agnes agreed. "But you are going to explain your situation to us properly."

"Call for the wanderer."

"We won't. But if you do as we say... he'll come," Edea said. "Can you stand?"

"I don't need your help or your pity." The dark knight pushed away from the wall.

"Good. Then let's go meet with your Tiz and Alternis."

* * *

 

He didn't even remember falling asleep, but he knew he had been when he jolted awake, cursing. "Master?" Airy said. "How do you feel?"

"Never mind that." His wounds felt mostly healed, but that wasn't the important thing. "How long was I out?"

"Not very long. About an hour, I think."

"An hour? Why did you let me sleep for that long?" He jumped to his feet, looking around. The hallway was still deserted, and no more telling of the situation.

"You needed it, Master. You're pushing yourself too hard," Airy said. "Calm down. I did some reconnaissance while you were asleep. No one's come down here in a while. See the dust?"

"But while I was asleep, they could've-"

"I also snooped around the soldiers and listened," Airy cut him off. "They're all looking for you. Apparently, whatever they want to do, they can't proceed further without you."

"Without me? Then they do need the four of us that were in the Infernal Realm," he realized. The thought snapped him back into focus, dispelling his panic. "Okay. Did you find out about the others?"

"From their talk, they were looking for Edea and the other three," Airy told him. "It sounded like they had them cornered in the Drunken Pig. They didn't mention Lilia."

"All right. Then we're going to head to the Drunken Pig," Ringabel said, dusting himself off.

"What are you going to do there?"

"I don't know. It'll depend on the situation." Ringabel put a hand over his eye. It was still not working properly. "Airy, take a look at this eye. Does it look strange?"

"The color looks odd," she said after a moment. "Is that bad?"

"Well, it's bad that I can't see out of it at all," he said. "I'm no good at little stuff like this. If I run into Agnes or Lilia, they can help. Do you know the surrounding layout of the tunnels here?"

"Yes, I looked." She landed in the dusty corridor, drawing a quick map in the dust. "We're right here."

"Okay, I know where we are," he said after a minute of studying the crude map. "I'm going to armor up. You may want to stay down in the bag. It'll offer you some protection."

She shook her head. "I'm not worried about getting hit. They already know I'm with you."

"In that case, sit on my shoulder." He gestured to his right side. "I've got a blind spot right there now with this bad eye. You can keep a watch out for me."

Airy beamed at him before flying to his shoulder. With the lack of sight, he could no longer see her, and he could barely feel her as she landed. Putting on his helmet, he began making his way through the dusty corridor. "Can I ask you something?"

"What's that, Master?"

"That... was another fairy, right? With Kamiizumi? Is she a crys-fairy, too?"

"No, she..." Airy let out a sigh. "It's hard to explain, but... she's my sister."

"Your sister?! I didn't know you had a sister."

"Well, I haven't seen her pretty much since I was born, a hundred thousand years ago. So she doesn't really come up in conversation much."

"Still, you have a sister..." Ringabel paused. "I would've thought she'd be happier to see you."

"Nope, not at all. You see, we were both created by Ouroboros, but she defied him and was locked away in the Infernal Realm as punishment," Airy told him. "I was loyal to Ouroboros, so it's no wonder she hates me."

"So she had a bit of a kneejerk reaction."

"She almost killed you, Master. That's a bit more than a mere kneejerk."

"Yeah, but I'm still alive. If you two talk, I'm sure you can understand each other now," Ringabel said. "She's your family."

"I don't think she's interested in listening to me. Not that I blame her. I've been Ouroboros's servant for a hundred thousand years. I've been with you a few months. I'm just mad that she associated you with Ouroboros because of me."

"Even so, I still kind of envy you," Ringabel said. "It must be nice to have someone that you share blood with."

"Oh... That's right, you don't have..." she realized. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You're justified in feeling alienated. But let's give it a try if we can, all right?" Ringabel reached the top of the ladder, pushing the trapdoor up slightly.

The impact of a body just ahead of him almost made him fall off the ladder in surprise. In front of him, the younger Edea landed roughly, skidding to a stop and leaving a streak of blood behind. Biting back a curse, Ringabel checked the area, but no one seemed to be coming after her. "This one's next," he heard a woman's voice say. "Call for the wanderer."

That was Edea's voice, he knew just by the sound. But it wasn't his Edea, lacking any sort of warmth. If anything, the sound reminded him of the darkness himself, of the time when he'd almost been lost to it for good as a child. Slowly extracting himself from the trapdoor, he crept across the floor, staying down below the seats as he reached for the injured girl.

He heard Lilia's voice, and then a vortex of wind blasted over the booths, blowing out the windows. Thankful for his armor, he pulled the younger Edea to him carefully, keeping the glass out of her skin. Darkness emanated from below, so tangible it left its taste on his tongue, making him dread what was going on down below. Was Lilia being swallowed by darkness? _Don't give in, don't give in,_ he thought to himself as he put his hands on the younger Edea's back, trying to draw the wound closed as best he could. He couldn't afford another slip-up like with his eye.

"Stop it, Lilia!" Alternis's voice. "This isn't who you are!"

He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, focusing his full attention on the injury. If Alternis was there, he'd be able to handle the darkness, perhaps even better than Ringabel himself. Sure enough, after a shouted exchange, the taste of darkness died down, as did the wind.

In his lap, the younger Edea stirred, her eyes snapping open. Ringabel put a hand over her mouth as she stiffened, ready to scream. "Shh, it's me," he said, keeping his voice as low as possible. "From the airship, remember? I'm Lilia's friend."

He removed his hand, going back to healing her wound. "You're... her Alternis?" she asked.

"Close, but no. Her Alternis is downstairs," he said, feeling a bit of his confidence in healing return. The wound would stay closed now, he thought, and unlike his own efforts, it would work. _Maybe the lesson is just to not use white magic when you're exhausted._ He hated to admit it, but Airy had been completely right in letting him sleep.

"You're coming with us," the Edea-but-not-Edea voice said.

"Yes, we are. But you are going to explain your situation to us properly." Agnes's voice. Just what situation was she talking about, he wondered.

"Call for the wanderer."

"We won't. But if you do as we say... he'll come." That was Edea, his Edea. He could have wept from relief in hearing her voice, free from pain, if none too pleased. He wanted nothing more than to run downstairs and hold her, but he recognized the warning in her words. The wanderer could be none other than himself, the missing piece for whatever this not-Edea was planning.

"Sh," he cautioned as he pulled back, keeping the young Edea safe from the broken glass. Opening the trapdoor again, he slipped inside with the young Edea on one arm. "How's your injury feeling?" he asked once the door was shut again.

"I'm fine now... I think. That's twice you've saved me," she fretted.

He dissolved his helmet so that she could see his face in the dim light. "Can you tell me what happened? Why did they injure you? Aren't you one of them?"

She shook her head, looking at him with watery eyes. "You see, it's that... I'm a clone," she admitted.

"You're Edea," she said, "and that's good enough for me. I like you better than the one out there, anyway. What's her dysfunction?"

"She wants the Warriors of Light. Hey, are you the one she was looking for?"

"Probably."

"You mustn't!" She clung to his armor as best she could. "Don't give them what they want. They'll hurt Lilia."

"Lilia's fine," he told her. "Alternis is taking care of her. More importantly, I need to know what I'm getting into."

She frowned, thinking. "Edea-the one we know and report to-she said something about it being Edea's-er, that is, the other Edea's-fault that her parents had died. That the situation was because of her."

"Hm." Ringabel tried to figure out how that information could apply, and came up blank. "Okay, then we'll have to play it by ear." He looked over at her, and sighed. "What do I do with you? I don't want to take you into danger, but I don't know that there's any safe place for you to hide."

"I want to come! I want to see Lilia again."

"I understand, but... I can't guarantee your safety. They might try to kill you again."

"I don't care." She raised her chin, looking more like her namesake. "I'm not so dumb as to hold onto a life that doesn't have meaning. Lilia... said we were friends. And friends support each other when they need it."

Ringabel smiled, ruffling her hair. "You are a good girl. If we make it through this, come live with Lilia and us."

* * *

 

Without someone as small as Airy, Ringabel didn't think he would've been able to follow the movements of the elder Edea and Agnes, along with his Edea and their group. There were just too many people on this ship. And now that he thought about it, he had a third Edea along for the ride, following him as stealthily as a girl who had never practiced stealth could manage just by trying very hard. "This is too confusing."

"What is?"

"Having three Edeas. I mean, not that you can't use that name, of course, it's just-"

"Chiri," she told him. "Lilia said that should be my name. So you can call me Chiri."

"... Chiri?" Ringabel looked at her with new curiosity. "Did she say where she got that name?"

"An adventure novel... I think."

"Mmph." He could tell her some other time about Braev's mother, Edea's grandmother, who had shared the same name. "It suits you. Chiri Lee."

"Y-you think so?" She blushed.

He stopped short at a turn in the tunnels, listening for either soldiers or Airy. Hearing nothing, he pressed on. "May I ask you something?" Chiri asked as she followed him. "Why did you save me, when we'd never even met?"

"Do I need a reason to save someone?"

"Lilia said it was because I was 'Edea'."

"That too. I wouldn't approve of them doing what they did to you, regardless of who you were," he said. "But I will also always protect 'Edea'. If you're ever in trouble, I'll save you. I'm actually pretty reliable," he said with a smile.

She tilted her head to one side, trying to puzzle things out. "Is being 'Edea' really that great?"

"It's not like you'll be the same as the others I've met. But it's likely you'll have some things in common, too. Same with myself and Alternis. You're not the same... but you still have the quality that I treasure."

Chiri looked at him again. "Is this Alternis friend of Lilia's a clone, too?"

"No, it's..." He sighed. "Hard to explain. Let's just say that he, and myself, and that dark knight as well, are all from the same seed. We act differently because we made different choices through our lives, but just like you and Edea, we have things in common."

"This is very confusing," she admitted, "but I feel a little better about myself. Thank you."

"That's okay to feel that way. For the longest time, I did, too. It did take some time, but I did reach a place where I belonged. You're young. You have time to look for one, too. But even if you decide not to stay with us, you're always be welcome here."

"Master!" Airy flew to them. "They've stopped moving. They're all currently gathered in the main chamber of the Grandship, the piloting cockpit. That dark knight and the older Tiz are there, too."

"Good. We'll take the outside railing, and get in from above. They'll be expecting me underneath, I'm sure."

"Why won't they be expecting you from above?" Chiri asked.

"Because it means we're about to go for a walk on the outside of an airship." Ringabel reached a door, pushing it open against the wind that whisked through, hissing at them, as if it wanted to deter them. "Edea, er, Chiri. I'm going to tie us together for safety. Be very careful where you walk, and always keep three points of contact on the ship - two hands and a foot, or two feet and a hand." He dug out some cord he'd scavenged from one of the hallways, quickly knotting them together. "Just follow my lead."

She nodded, no sign of fear on her face as Ringabel led the way along the narrow steps. Normally, this walkway would be used for servicing the outside of the Grandship when it was berthed. At least they weren't in motion at the moment. "The air's kind of hard to breathe," Chiri said behind him. "There's too much wind."

"Just take it slow. Let me know if I'm going too fast for you." Ringabel moved as he had instructed Chiri, only placing one hand or foot at a time. At least, he thought, they wouldn't have far to go.

"It's so high up," she said in surprise. "I can see so much of the ocean."

"Are you okay?"

"Well, this is better than the last time I was at the end of a rope on the outside of the ship," she pointed out.

He laughed, reaching the door at last. "That's true."

From there, it was a quick climb up a ladder, and then they were on the rafters of the cockpit, with a great view down into the room below. Ringabel sliced Chiri free from him, gesturing for her to be silent as he leaned forward on a rafter. Airy sat back down on his shoulder again, and both listened.

"You still haven't found the wanderer?" It was Tiz's voice, but with a richer timbre, a more adult voice. Even in this place, his voice sounded oddly innocent, country.

"I don't think he's among this world anymore, sir." Ringabel finally spotted the pair - Tiz over by the wheel, next to the male dark knight, and the other speaker, Kamiizumi, near the stairs. "I saw him fall. No one would have survived an impact at that height."

"If he is who they say he is, he is most undoubtedly alive." Ringabel felt chills go down his back anew. So this was what it was like to listen to oneself as a potential enemy. "He'll be on this ship."

"What did you do to him, Kamiizumi?" Edea, his Edea, her back against the windows, Tiz resting on the wall next to her. Agnes was in a half-seated position, listening as she kept an eye on Tiz. "If you hurt him, I'll be very cross with you."

"He chose to hurt himself."

"All the more reason he's still alive," the dark knight said. "He won't be one for suicide."

"You're right," Edea agreed. "But he isn't going to come here before you hold up your end of the bargain. Start explaining yourself, dark knight. Or should I say Alternis Dim?"

"You don't seem to understand your position," the elder Edea said, keeping a position next to Alternis's chair. "You're in no place to make demands."

"Whatever it is you want, you can't achieve without the fourth Warrior of Light."

"And you act as if you may summon him with but a word," the elder Edea scoffed. "You have an awful lot of faith in someone you don't even know for sure is alive."

"If you don't have that faith in your Alternis," Edea said, "then I feel sorry for you."

"Why is it," the dark knight Alternis said, "that you consider him so fondly, an Alternis from another world? Shouldn't you consider the one of your world first?"

Edea turned her head, and Ringabel spotted Alternis at last, resting in Lilia's arms. The mage herself was suspended in some kind of bubble being held in place by Victor. Was Alternis injured badly? "I trust them both," she said. "It's not a matter of choosing one or the other. They're both important to me for different reasons. We both have memories with each other. But the one thing they have in common is that they are unfailingly reliable. It's thanks to the Alternis you keep dismissing that your Edea isn't a plate of sashimi."

"Let us stop this arguing," Agnes said. "Alternis Dim of another world. Please explain to us what this 'new world' is that you hope to achieve."

"I refuse." He looked at the other dark knight. "Enough is enough. Tie this Edea up on the Grandship's bow. If he's alive, he'll come for her."

"Mgrgr! You people don't want to act civilized at all, do you?"

Ringabel took in a breath. He could only see one immediate course of action that wouldn't put Edea in danger. "Chiri," he told the girl quietly, "stay here." Without waiting for a response, he dropped from the rafters, landing in the middle of the room.

"The wanderer!" Kamiizumi said, drawing his sword.

Ringabel drew his own weapon, but instead of moving to attack, he placed the tip of the blade against his own neck. "Listen up well, all of you! My name is Ringabel and I am one of the four Warriors of Light, the Avatar of Water. Without me, you can't pull off whatever it is you want to do, so hold your positions or I'll take my own life, right here and now!"

"You're bluffing," the dark knight Edea snapped.

He smiled in response. "Some things are greater than my own life."

"He isn't bluffing. Stand down," Alternis ordered the troops, turning his helmeted head toward Ringabel. He couldn't see the other man's expression through the helmet, but just like with his own Alternis, he didn't need to. "What is it you want, Avatar of Water?"

"The same thing the rest of us want," Ringabel said. "To know what the hell you're trying to pull. What is this new world you want to build?"

"Kamiizumi," Alternis addressed the older man. "Send the other soldiers away."

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"Should they try anything, the lives of this girl and this Alternis are forfeit," he said with a gesture toward Victor.

"You inferior Alternis," Lilia hissed at him. "I hope Ringabel kicks your butt til it's black and blue."

Reluctantly, Kamiizumi signaled for the others to leave. Now it was just Ringabel and his allies against their four selves from another world, as well as Victor and Kamiizumi. "We only wish to claim what was taken from us," Alternis said after reflection. "What _you_ took from us."

"What we took from you? But we've never met. What is it that we could have taken?"

"Stop playing dumb!" the elder Edea snapped at him. "You saw it happen, you caused it to happen, and you did nothing! You caused Ouroboros to destroy our world, and you still plead ignorance?"

Agnes put a hand to her mouth. "You... Your world was one of the four, wasn't it?"

"So you remember now?" the elder Agnes said to her.

"I've never forgotten it. Never."

"So then, what it is you hope that we can do?" Ringabel asked.

"When you fought Ouroboros in the Infernal Realm, and he destroyed our world, along with the others, an incredible amount of elemental energy was released, and attracted to you," Alternis said. "That is what makes you the Avatars. Using you, we can call on a celestial, who can use that energy to create a replacement Luxendarc for us."

"You're calling on a celestial?" Ringabel echoed. "How did you come about that? How do you even know about celestials?"

"You're not the only one that's acquainted with fairies."

Ringabel turned his head as a sparkle landed on Alternis's shoulder, almost making them mirror images of each other, save that Ringabel had discarded his helmet. "Don't trust him, Alternis," the fairy said. "He has the Evil One with him. He must be an agent of Ouroboros."

He couldn't see Airy, but he could guess how she felt. "Airy," he said to her, "it's your turn."

"Master? It's my turn for what?"

"Talk to your sister. Tell her how you feel."

She hesitated. "What are you playing at, human?" the other fairy addressed Ringabel. "Why are you siding with the Evil One?"

He pressed his lips together, but didn't answer. It wasn't his place to talk to this fairy. That was something, he thought, that Airy needed to do for herself.

Which she did. "Evil One this, Evil One that," Airy snapped. "Will you give it a rest already? I haven't seen you in a hundred thousand years, and this is how you greet me? By assuming that I'm still caught up on a dead jerk because you won't even talk to me? Yes, I served Ouroboros for a very long time, and I meant every one of those years. But that doesn't mean that I can't change!"

"You can't change," the other fairy said with a shake of her head. "Ouroboros made it so you couldn't. You can't ever not be loyal to him, Airy. I know that very well. Just like a human cannot become a god, or fly, you too cannot change your colors."

"If you think I can't change my colors, then just try looking at my wings! There is no number that will lead me to him. Do you understand that? And even if there was, I wouldn't take it. I'm not stupid, sister. Even I would leave a person who thinks I'm no better than a _cow_. It may have taken me to my breaking point, but I got over it. I'm here, and I don't need him any more. I've found... other things. Simple things that I never paid attention to, because I thought they were beneath me. It's the stupidest things that ended up meaning something. Like stupid humans and their stupid hobbies and their stupid short, complicated lifespans." Her voice broke. "If you can't understand that much, then maybe you're the one that can't change your colors."

The other fairy didn't answer, stunned into silence. "Airy," Ringabel murmured, letting the name convey the feelings he couldn't show with his hands.

"Airy," Agnes got to her feet. "People _can_ change. I'm proof of that. So is Ringabel, and Edea. And so are the selves of us from another world. I always wanted to believe that someday, you'd understand the things you'd done, and would turn away from them. I always believed you weren't the Evil One we had to fight. Today, I'm glad that I believed such a thing."

"Agnes..." Airy sniffled.

Ringabel looked back to the fairy. "So, Airy's sister. Were you the one that told Alternis about calling a celestial?"

"Their ship found my prison in the Infernal Realm, and set me free," she said, bowing her head. "Giving them that one small hope was all I could do in return. You don't know what suffering you inflicted on them, Warrior of Light. Escaping destruction with a mere fraction of their world's people, but their suffering didn't end there. There was no food... There weren't enough healers. People continued to die. It was only because we found a crack in the fabric of time and space that we could reach this place at all. I can make their hope real. Because of the Warriors of Light, who caused their suffering in the first place."

"Explain this spell that you tried before. You just need the presence of the four Warriors of Light?"

"That's it. Because your bodies are special, having been exposed directly to the Infernal Realm and partaking of the energies of the worlds that met their end there."

"You should have told us that from the start," Ringabel said, lowering his sword at last. "You could have saved us a lot of trouble."

Above their heads, he heard a cry, and then Konoe descended with a struggling Chiri in her arms. "Ringabel, n-" Her words were cut off as Konoe bound her effectively.

He met Agnes's eyes, and she nodded slightly. "Now that all of us are here," Edea said, "we'll give your spell one more try."

Lilia tried to yell something from inside her prison, but Victor made a gesture, and she fell asleep quickly. "Kamiizumi and Konoe, you two take these children downstairs until we're done."

"Airy," Ringabel said, so soft that he couldn't be overheard. "You go with those three."

"But, Master-"

"It's for me. Give them a message." He put her next to his face, and spoke.

"...I understand."


	14. Replacement: Part 4

Don't fall asleep. Don't fall asleep.

Pain throbbed in his hand, and for once, Alternis didn't ignore it, but pushed the spike of dark energy deeper, cruicifying his palm. It was all he could do against the spell as Kamiizumi carried him over one shoulder, Lilia under his arm. Without even the energy to open his eyes, he wasn't sure where or how they moved until he felt plush fabric against his face.

Don't fall asleep. Don't fall asleep.

At last, the footsteps retreated, the door clicking shut behind them. As soon as it did, Alternis forced himself into a sitting position, then to his feet. It was hard to walk, let alone do anything else under the influence of the spell, and he only hoped that he could wake up Lilia before he succumbed. "Lilia," he said hoarsely, shaking her shoulders roughly. "Lilia, wake up!"

She didn't stir, and he bit his lip. He didn't like what he was about to do. Putting a hand over her mouth, he formed another spike of black with the other hand, driving it into her own hand. Lilia jerked awake with a muffled scream, looking at him with wide eyes. "I'm sorry," he told her, "but hurry, cast something to throw off this sleep spell."

Her eyes snapped into focus, and she raised one hand, making some sort of gesture in the air. It was like a weight dragging him along in the water had finally lifted, and he let the black spikes return to the darkness. "Well done, Lilia. I'm sorry."

"You're hurt," she said in alarm, taking his bleeding hand. "You're hurt again. Let me see it."

"I'm fine," he reassured her even as she took his hand, beginning to heal it. "Edea, are you awake?"

"That's Chiri," Lilia said. "What happened? I remember them going to-Alternis!" She gave his shoulders a shake. "They're going to kill Edea and Ringabel and the others!"

"What? How?"

"Chiri told me a bit about the spell, as did Victor-papa. They're going to use their life energy to summon this celestial and then the elemental energy to make their new world."

"It's a death trap," Chiri mumbled, shuddering.

"That's the impression I got too," Alternis said. "But then why would he have gone willingly? The four of them are just walking into it."

"They may not know."

"Oh, they know," said a voice from behind the window. "Open the window, please."

Alternis blinked, but did so, and Airy flew into the room. "Ringabel sent me here. I took a look at the spell circles they've got on the top level. He said if there was something dangerous about the spell circle, that Lilia would know." Landing on the table, she drew lines of light in the air, making tiny spell circles.

Lilia leaned over the table, watching as Airy sketched out a form. "Yes, with this here... Did the edge of this pattern look like this?" she asked, moving a few of the lines.

"Yes, this is... Oh. Oh. That's bad, isn't it? Now I see it."

"Well, it's certainly not good."

"What is it?" Alternis asked, unable to follow the magical discussion.

"Well, it's not like it's straight-up murder, but it's certainly not designed with any particular survival in mind. The kind of power they're trying to draw out is just too much for a human body, even if they are these Avatars or whatever." Lilia put a hand to her chin. "Let me think."

"Are they idiots?" Alternis said, pacing a few steps. "Why would they do that?"

"Because they, too, want to summon a celestial. They're risking their lives for this. And I hate to rush you," Airy said, "but they'll be at it soon."

"Then let's concentrate on getting out of here," Alternis said. "I'll take down the door."

"Okay, this isn't much of a plan," Lilia admitted, "but I think we can stop it from killing Edea and Ringabel and the others. Here's what we'll do..."

* * *

 

Ringabel took his place at the corner of the magic circle, hoping that his insurance policy of one fairy was going to be enough in case something went wrong. Or possibly if it went right. There had been genuine anger in Alternis's body posture; he'd like to see Ringabel fry. Hopefully, this was going to be worth it.

Victor connected the last bits of his magic circle together, and blue engulfed Ringabel's vision, the light sucking on him as if to draw out his very soul. Nearby, he could barely make out the other forms in the other pillars, being drawn as he was. Just as he'd thought, this was no friendly spell. _Lilia, please think of something. I'm holding out for you_ , he thought.

As if they had read his mind, the doors burst open, and Alternis, Chiri, and Lilia came running out. Victor yelled something, but there were no guards to stop them as they charged into the magic circle itself. Alternis entered his pillar of blue, wincing from the pressure, but nonetheless grabbed on to Ringabel, slipping under his arm for support. "Hang in there!" he yelled over the noise of the magic.

On either side, he saw Lilia cross into Agnes's pale pillar, and Chiri into Edea's red fire. And in front of him, he saw Airy with Agnes's pendant, making for Tiz. "Ugh," Ringabel groaned, falling to one knee.

"Don't give out on me," Alternis said, pulling him back up. "We're going to make it through this! Lilia has a plan."

Ringabel wanted to answer, but a ripple went through the spell as it redoubled its efforts, trying to take both of them at once. "Not yet," Alternis groaned. "We're going to make it back."

His eye fell on Airy inside the pillar, and he thought for a moment her brooch was glowing again, lit up like never before as she held Agnes's pendant aloft, summoning help they couldn't articulate. And something responded, flooding the area with light from Tiz's pillar, rippling through the spell and breaking it apart.

A brief blackness-did he lose consciousness?-then he sprawled across the deck of the Grandship, Alternis half underneath him. Through the dots in his vision, he managed to spot Agnes and Lilia, Edea and Chiri. And standing where the fourth pillar was, a battered Airy resting in his hand, stood Tiz. "What happened?" he heard the older Alternis say. "Victor, give me a status!"

"Even with the interference, it worked exactly as it was supposed to," Victor snapped. "Don't blame me."

"It was supposed to summon a celestial!"

"Then it worked as intended," Tiz said, turning to them with an unreadable expression. No matter what had happened during their travels, Tiz had always worn his heart on his sleeve, making it easy to determine his moods. Not so, now. Maybe this wasn't his best friend after all. "I'm here. What did you call me for?"

"You're a celestial?" the elder Agnes said in surprised disbelief. "How?"

"That doesn't matter, Agnes," the elder Tiz said, running up to his younger self. "If you're a celestial, then please, help us! Please, use the crystals' energy stored in the Warriors of Light's bodies to bring our Luxendarc back! To make a new world!"

Tiz's expression fell. "We're... not as powerful as you think we are. Creating a new world is beyond my capabilities."

"No... That can't be! You have to be able to help us! If not, then what was this long journey for?" The elder Tiz reached for his other self's shoulders, then backed away.

"But you're a celestial!" Airy's sister leapt from the older Alternis's shoulder, hovering next to the older Tiz. "You were powerful enough to banish Ouroboros to the Infernal Realm! You can change time and space at a whim!"

"If we were really as powerful as you say, wouldn't we have just killed Ouroboros?" Tiz replied. "Or at the least, come to the Infernal Realm and rescued you?"

She flinched as if she'd been struck, backing away. "We're not gods. We only have so many things each of us can do. Like putting a little life into a pitiable lost soul." Tiz turned his face away, his voice catching.

Ringabel finally found some strength in his arms, pulling himself off Alternis. This _was_ Tiz, or at least the celestial that had been housed in his body. Who really understood who Tiz was at this point, anyway? "Then what can we do?" the elder Agnes said. "Our home was destroyed, our people lost. We don't have anywhere to return to. Now you are saying that we can no longer look ahead?"

Tiz didn't answer, but carefully ran a finger and thumb along the edges of Airy's battered wings, repairing the damage done to them. She stirred at last, looking up at Tiz. "Oh... You're the one Master was looking for."

"You've really worked hard these past few months," he said. "You did well."

"You can tell?"

He gave her a soft smile, then touched a finger to her brooch. "May I borrow this?"

"Oh, s-sure."

Resting it on his finger, Tiz held the brooch up, letting the elements swirl in the air around it. "As I said, we celestials are very limited in what we can do. But such is not the case for humans. It is _humans_ who create the new worlds, the ten thousand and more of Luxendarc. They create the seeds, and then over time, their prayers and their hopes and dreams become the light, the wind and the water, fire and earth. This is how a world is born. It starts here."

"That's... That's a new world?" the older Alternis asked softly, walking to Tiz. "Can it really be?"

"It will take a very long time. Thousands of years. But if you're willing to wait, one thing I can do for you is let you rest with it until it is ready. Would that... fulfill your hopes?"

"Our own world," the older Agnes breathed, gripping the older Edea's arm. "It could be real."

The older Alternis reached a hand for it, stopping short of actually touching it. "This is what _we_ want," he said, "but it's not what all of us want. I'll need to give the people aboard a choice - to stay in this world, or to come with us to a new one. I'm sure there are many, the ones we saved before everything ended, that just want to return to a normal life. Can you... give us a little time?"

Tiz let the elemental energy die down, handing the brooch back to Airy. "Then let us make haste and give them a chance to decide."

"Victor, you handle things here. Let's go downstairs," the older Alternis said to his allies, the four of them rapidly exiting the deck.

Victor snorted in response. "And me to do cleanup and babysitting duty. Grand."

Lilia finally extracted herself from Agnes's lap, walking toward Victor on shaky legs. "Victor-papa... what are you going to do? Maybe... you'll consider staying?"

"I'm not your father," he told her, "and I don't know who you are. If the version of myself that exists in this world created you, it's nothing to do with me."

"I _know_ that," she said, scowling at him. "My Victor-papa died. There isn't any 'replacing' him. But... it's just... you look so terribly sad, being here, and it hurts me. If there's something I can do to ease the deep pain you're holding, I want to do it. Ringabel told me he saved Chiri because she was 'Edea'. I think... I want to help you, because you're 'Victor'."

He met her eyes, then turned away, busying himself with nothing at all. "I'll think about it. Sleeping for thousands of years doesn't particularly interest me."

With Lilia gone, Agnes stood up as well, taking steps that were not weak due to exhaustion, but trembling hope. "Tiz...? Are you... in there?"

Tiz looked at her with his deep eyes, then his expression turned to a sheepish smile he had often worn. "Uh, hi Agnes," he said, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Um, been a while, hasn't it?"

"Tiz," she threw herself at him, sobbing as she held onto him. "Tiz, you're here."

He gingerly placed his hands on her arms, but didn't quite return the embrace. "It's okay, Agnes. Don't cry."

"Don't leave me again," she cried. "I won't be able to stand it if you leave again."

He didn't reply. Ringabel got to his feet, helping Alternis up before going to Edea. "You all right, love?"

"I'm fine. I can understand how she feels," she said with a nod to Agnes. "I knew you'd come for us. I thought so many times if I just called for you, you'd be by my side."

"Absolutely, love. But you did splendidly on your own." He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "As to be expected of Eternia's seat on the World Council and a member of its Council of Six. You're incredible."

"It was Agnes's idea to let ourselves be caught, not mine," she protested as he touched her neck. "...but if this is my reward, I guess I can take the credit."

"Why, Edea Lee, how forward of you."

"You know, we could have died up here," she said. "It's thanks to Alternis and Lilia and, um, myself that we didn't."

"And Airy."

"And Airy. So maybe I want to let you tease me just a bit before something else happens." She gave his hand a squeeze as he steered her toward Tiz and Agnes.

Agnes let go of Tiz as they approached, attempting to regain some form of composure. "Welcome back to being among the living, Tiz."

"Don't you scare us like that again," Edea scolded him. "Do you know how much trouble we went through? We thought we were going to lose you for good."

"Yeah," he said, but it didn't sound convincing. "I'm sorry."

"Well, be more careful, all right?"

"Don't throw too many stones at him," Ringabel said, patting Edea on the shoulder. "He's not the only one that left for a little while. What happened to you, anyway, Tiz? Could it happen again?"

"Well, I... I'm sorry, everyone." He avoided their eyes. "The truth is, last time I...sort of left on my own."

"You left on your own? Without even saying a word to anyone?" Edea grabbed him by the shirt, giving him a little shake. "What were you thinking?"

"I... thought it might be best if 'Tiz' just faded away quietly. I didn't expect you to go as far as you did." He turned his face to the side. "You've seen... what I am. I don't belong here."

"Of course we would go as far as we did, and then some! What sort of friend just lets another friend die?" Edea gave him another shake before letting him go. "What's this nonsense you're trying to pull on us now? You thought it might be best?"

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Tell you that I really wasn't human like you all thought I was? That I'm not like you? That I've been deceiving you all along?"

"Tiz," Ringabel reached for his shoulder. "You haven't deceived us-"

He brushed the hand away, taking a step back from the group. "The _real_ Tiz Arrior died the day the Great Chasm opened up. I found him as the last of his life faded away, read his memories, and took his body for my own. I'm not... I'm not Tiz Arrior at all." He looked at them, tearing up, his expression as if he'd cast aside the last thing he valued. "I've been lying to you all along. This is what I didn't want to tell you."

It was Agnes that reacted first, and she did so in a way no one expected, tapping Tiz sharply on the cheek. "Have you come back to your senses, Tiz?" she said sternly. "I have heard what you have said, but it has no impact on our relationship with each other. By what you said... you are the only one I have known. _You_ are the one that we journeyed with, that fought by our sides. Perhaps it is heartless to say that I do not care about the human named Tiz Arrior... but I have never met him. You are the one that is important to me, Tiz. Please, do not try and leave us again."

Ringabel nodded agreement. "You're the one that decides what name and identity you want to use. You're Tiz to us. It's okay if you keep that name. You do belong here."

"And if you don't understand that, we'll really get mad," Edea added.

"Everyone..." He rubbed at his face, unable to hold back any longer. "I'm sorry. I won't run away again. I promise."

* * *

 

It reminded him of watching the last traces of the Holy Pillar fade all over again, Ringabel thought as he watched the sky over Norende, the scraps of light flickering like bits of flame. But this time, it was the light itself that was the symbol of hope, not its disappearance. "They'll be all right, don't you think?" Edea murmured as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Even if it takes ten thousand years, they still have each other."

"Yeah." He ran a hand through his hair. "You know, every time I meet another world's version of me, I'm struck by how different we are. And yet, how alike we are. I can't help but think that if I'd been in his position, I might've done the same."

"You might have, but you'd gone about it a different way. Because you're the one and only Ringabel." She gave his hand a squeeze.

He squeezed hers in return, leading her over to Tiz. "You can have this back," he was speaking to Airy, offering her the brooch. "Thank you for letting me borrow it. Although I'm afraid I've kind of ruined it from all that work."

Airy looked at it, then closed his fingers around it. "You keep it. I don't need it any more," she said with a smile. "Oh, Master. Did you see? I was helpful, wasn't I?" she directed to Tiz.

"Your sister went with them?" Ringabel asked, looking up.

"Yes." Airy looked up as well. "It's only natural that she'd want to rest with them. That Alternis is her master, after all."

"Did you say everything you wanted to say?"

"I don't know that a lifetime would be enough to say everything we wanted to say. But we talked, and maybe next time we meet, it won't be so weird. I know where to find her." Airy scratched at her head. "It's a really human thing for me to say, but... I wish her all the happiness in the world."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Ringabel chuckled as Airy landed on his shoulder.

Agnes joined them as well, imitating the picture of their past selves almost three years prior. Sharing time together, blissfully unaware of what would come to pass in the future. They'd lived through it, and still had come to smile like this. _Ah, but who knows? Perhaps there's yet another round of adventure awaiting us in the future._

The image broke as Agnes threw her arms around Tiz's neck, hugging him so hard she knocked him to the ground. "Now that this is done, you are coming with me, Tiz Arrior," she told him. "You have a lot of responsibilities you need to account for."

"Uh... I do?"

"Of course. You have your duties here, in Norende, with Egil, and also your duties to the Warriors of Light in the world you helped to save. And also..."

"Also what?"

She leaned into his chest, brushing her lips against his cheek, not quite bold enough to touch his lips. "Do not make me be so direct, Tiz. I am still the Vestal of Wind."

Ringabel looked over at Edea and grinned, knowing she had to be thinking the same thing he was. Behind them, a "whee!" and a yelp caught Ringabel's attention, and he turned. Judging by the sprawl of limbs and the glee on Lilia's face, she had decided that what Agnes had done looked fun, and replicated it with both Chiri and Alternis, one arm around each. "That was a great adventure," she declared, kicking her legs merrily. "All the same, let's wait a little while before we have another one."

"Actually, I think I'm quite all right if we don't go on another one ever," Alternis protested, his face red.

"Me too," Chiri agreed.

"Aw, c'mon, you two. Fine, let's go flying instead! You know, once the Easbi is repaired. It's way better than flying in a big ship, Chiri. You'll take us, right, Alternis?"

"Aren't you carefree?" Victor said from nearby, shooing one of the sheep that ventured close. "Are adventures and flying your only concerns?"

"Well, that inferior Alternis and Edea trashed my lab, so I'm going to have to restart a number of my experiments anyway."

"They _trashed the lab?_ " Victor winced. Whether it was from an imagined pain, or anger, or both, Ringabel wasn't sure. "Those two _idiots_."

"Yep. Oh, but some of them should be okay. I'll show you when we get there," Lilia said, jumping to her feet. "I'll also introduce you to the cats."

"You let _cats_ into the lab?"

"Oh, sure. I have a few spells to clean up the cat hair. I'll show you that too, Victor-papa."

"That's... Just..." He put a hand to his face. "And don't call me Victor-papa. Like I said, I'm not your father."

"I know, but calling you just 'Victor' seems kind of weird, you know?"

"We need to gather everyone up, and figure out who's going where," Edea said. "And we'll need to give the Grandship a call for that. Konoe, give me a hand rounding everyone up. Ringabel, can you go get one of my flares from Egil?"

"Sure thing." Ringabel threw an arm around Tiz's shoulder as he got to his feet. "You're coming with me. I've got a promise to keep to a little boy in that village. And welcome back."

Tiz looked at him, then finally smiled. "You, too."


End file.
